TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Charges against the man accused of leaving a dog tied to a fence during Hurricane Milton have been dropped.
Trooper, a bull terrier, was found tied to a fence on the side of Interstate 75 with water rising to his chest as the hurricane battered Tampa.
His owner, Giovanny Garcia, was facing animal cruelty charges; however, those charges have been dropped.
The State Attorney’s Office in Hillsborough County said they don’t have enough evidence to prove that Garcia intentionally tied Trooper up in those rising flood waters, or that he used a rope to do it.
“While this case stirs many emotions and even ethical questions, we do not have a good-faith basis to continue this prosecution,” a statement from the State Attorney’s Office read.
The statement went on to say that, although the charges have been dropped, Trooper’s story and the national attention it garnered have led to change.
Trooper’s Law went into effect this month and makes it a felony to abandon animals during natural disasters.
As for Trooper, after spending time in foster care with the Leon County Humane Society, he has a loving new family.
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