Florida: Police say Benjamin Garcia, 34, stole a truck with dog inside. When he abandoned vehicle, he left the poor dog locked inside to die

FLORIDA -- A 34-year-old Marion Oaks man faces charges of burglary, grand theft and animal cruelty after being accused of burglarizing a Sonny's restaurant and stealing a truck in which the owner's dog later was found dead.

Benjamin Garcia, 34, was arrested and taken to the Marion County Jail, where he remained late Friday.

According to Marion County Sheriff’s Office’s property crimes detectives, around 7 a.m. on July 28, they were called to Sonny’s Restaurant at 1794 SW County Road 484 in reference to a burglary. Three televisions, two computer monitors, a laptop and two shop vacs were missing. Officials watched a video of the break-in that showed a man entering the business and removing the items.

That afternoon, shortly before 2:30 p.m., a woman reported her truck had been stolen — with her dog inside. She said she had parked her 2008 Chevy Cobalt truck in front of the Boost Mobile/Ship Safe store at 1354 SE CR 484 and left her dog, a Chihuahua / poodle mix named Prince, in the vehicle, which she left running. She said she went to a nearby gas station to buy something and when she came back out, her truck and dog were gone.

Deputies reviewed surveillance video that showed a man getting into the vehicle and driving away.

The man in both videos was the same person.

Larson and Tingue put Garcia’s photo on the MCSO Facebook page and distributed it to people in the nearby community. They soon were told through social media that the man was Garcia.

The detectives found Garcia in Marion Oaks and took him to a district office for an interview. He told detectives Thomas Tingue and Eric Larson that he stole the truck because he did not want to walk to Marion Oaks. He said he ditched the vehicle by a dumpster at the Pilot Gas Station at 2020 SW 135th St. and walked home.

When he was questioned by detectives about the dog, Garcia told them he never saw the animal.

The woman’s truck was later discovered in the possession of a local towing company, which had been privately contacted to remove it from the parking lot of the station. The dog was found deceased on the front passenger floorboard, deputies said.

ARREST INFO:
Name: BENJAMIN GARCIA
Booking Number: 1600006193
Booking on: 8/4/2016
County: Marion
Date of Birth: 1/31/1982
Gender: M
Race: B
Charges:
1.Violation Code: 810.02-4A
Violation Description: BURGL-UNOCCUPIED STRUCTURE UNARMED
Bond Amount: $5,000.00

2. Violation Code: 812.014-2C1
Violation Description: GRAND THEFT 300 LESS THAN 5K DOLS
Bond Amount: $2,000.00

3. Violation Code: 810.02-4B
Violation Description: BURGL-UNOCCUPIED CONVEYANCE UNARMED
Bond Amount: $5,000.00

4. Violation Code: 812.014-2C6
Violation Description: GRAND THEFT OF MOTOR VEHICLE
Bond Amount: $2,000.00

5. Violation Code: 828.12-1
Violation Description: CONSERVATION-ANIMALS-TORMENT DEPRIVE MUTILATE KILL
Bond Amount: $1,000.00

Pathetic that the lowest bond amount is for killing an innocent animal. 

(Star Banner - Aug 5, 2016)