JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man is facing a felony animal cruelty charge after a dog was found dead inside his car, which had been submerged in Julington Creek at a popular public boat launch earlier this month.
It started with an anonymous tip.
Someone visiting Hood Landing Public Kayak Launch on Oct. 10 spotted what appeared to be a car trunk just beneath the water’s surface at the end of the boat ramp and called it in to Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the arrest report said.
Flooding on the road leading to the launch made it difficult for officers to get close, so they sent up a drone to take a look.
What the drone found was troubling — oil or gasoline was rising to the surface of the water right where the caller said the car was located.
JSO’s dive team was called to the scene and confirmed a vehicle was submerged in the waterway. After making sure no one was trapped inside, divers worked with a towing crew to pull the car out, the report said.
Getting the car out wasn’t easy. To secure it for towing, the crew had to break out the rear driver’s side window. That’s when a deceased brown Pit mix dog floated out of the car.
Animal Care and Protective Services responded and took photos of the scene before recovering the dog. Inside the car, the report said, officers also found dog leashes, toys, treats and a chain that matched the one still around the dog’s neck.
Officers traced the car back to Max Barker, 25. The next day, an officer met with Barker and let him know he was being investigated.
Officers were waiting on results from a necropsy — essentially an animal autopsy — before making an arrest.
On Oct. 19, those results came back. Officers went to Barker’s home and arrested him.
Barker is charged with one count of felony animal cruelty — specifically, intentionally causing the cruel death of an animal or causing unnecessary suffering — under Florida law. It is a third-degree felony.
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