Target: Bruce Bartlett, State Attorney of the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Pinellas County, Florida
Goal: Prosecute to the fullest extent of the law individual charged with animal cruelty after alleged discovery of four cats locked in a crate on an outdoor patio without food or water, lying in urine and feces, annd a dog tethered to a live open wire.
A concerned neighbor’s call to law enforcement led deputies to a property where they allegedly found four cats locked in a small crate on an outdoor patio with no access to food or water, lying in their own urine and feces, with food infested with cockroaches. Inside the residence, two dogs were reportedly discovered, one tethered to a live open electrical wire with a metal chain — a condition that created a potentially lethal electrocution risk. Other discoveries allegedly include dog food infested with roaches and a water bowl positioned directly below a live electrical outlet. The accused had been previously cited for animal cruelty and neglect — making this a deeply troubling pattern that demands serious prosecutorial consequences.
Florida’s Dexter’s Law, which took effect in July 2025, significantly strengthened penalties for aggravated animal cruelty involving companion animals, applying a 1.25 sentencing multiplier under the Florida Criminal Punishment Code and creating a statewide Animal Abuse Offender Database. The accused faces one felony count and four misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty — and upon conviction, would be subject to inclusion in Florida’s public animal abuse registry, potentially prohibiting future animal ownership or employment involving animals.
The State Attorney’s Office must pursue conviction and the maximum available sentencing on every charge, with the accused’s prior citation treated as the aggravating factor it represents. Six animals allegedly endured dangerous and degrading conditions in this person’s care — and the law must now speak for each of them. Demand full accountability.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Attorney Bartlett,
We are writing to urge your office to pursue the maximum available penalties under Florida law against the individual charged with felony animal cruelty and four misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty following the alleged discovery of four cats locked in a crate without food or water, lying in their own feces, with roach-infested food — and a dog inside the residence tethered to a live open electrical wire with a metal chain.
We are particularly concerned that the accused had been previously cited for animal cruelty and neglect — and that this therefore seemingly represents a continuation, not an isolated incident. Florida’s Dexter’s Law, which strengthened penalties for companion animal cruelty and created a statewide abuser registry, exists precisely for cases involving repeat conduct of this nature. We urge your office to ensure that the accused’s prior citation is factored into your prosecutorial approach and sentencing recommendation.
We respectfully but firmly demand that your office pursue conviction and the maximum available sentencing on all charges, including the felony count, and support the accused’s inclusion in Florida’s Animal Abuse Offender Database upon conviction. The six animals allegedly found in these conditions deserve the full force of Florida’s animal protection laws.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Pragyan Bezbaruah
