Florida: Jorge Hernandez, 34, charged with animal cruelty after throwing puppy over fence, shattering her leg, and then driving off, leaving her to suffer

FLORIDA -- A Florida man was arrested after he allegedly caused the shattering of a puppy’s leg when he threw it over an animal control organization’s tall fence, abandoning the then-injured pooch before driving off, officials said.

Jorge Samuel Hernandez, 34, was allegedly seen on surveillance footage driving up to the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control’s dog play area, taking a puppy out from the pickup truck’s flatbed and hurling it over the fenced-in section about 4:55 p.m. on January 3, the OCSO said.

“The fence surrounding this area is approximately 6 foot high with three strands of barbed wire on top of the fence,” police said.

PUPPY LAID THERE WITH BROKEN LEG FOR 14 HOURS

Surveillance footage showed the dog lying in the spot she landed all night with no food or water, as officials discovered the dog 14 hours after it had been abandoned.

As a result of being thrown, the 6-month-old dog — dubbed by her rescuers as Jenny — suffered extensive injuries, including a broken right rear leg that required surgery, said Nala's New Life Rescue, where police had brought the pup to be rehabilitated.

“Nala’s was contacted... with an urgent request to take her, because the shelter does not have the funds to repair her leg, and Jenny likely would be euthanized since dogs with broken legs are not the first choice of people looking to adopt,” the rescue group said on Facebook. "We couldn’t say no."

Jenny was taken to a veterinary specialist who works with the rescue group, where it underwent a $1,200 surgery that was covered by donations.

“We are happy to announce that, thanks to your generosity and kindness, in just 12 hours, we were able to raise the funds necessary to cover the cost of Jenny’s surgery,” the group wrote on Facebook after announcing they were accepting donations.

After appealing to the public for tips on identifying the man responsible for abandoning Jenny, deputies arrested Hernandez, charging him with animal cruelty, obstruction by a disguised person and operating a motor vehicle without a license.

Police said Hernandez admitted to throwing the dog over the fence, saying it was a stray dog that had followed him home.

After keeping it for 10 days, Hernandez allegedly said he brought the puppy to animal control because he was scared it would hurt children in a park near his home.

Jenny is now in a foster care and is expected to make a full recovery.

ORIGINAL STORY: 

Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office posted on Facebook: ATTEMPT TO IDENTIFY.

On Tuesday, January 3, 2017 at approximately 4:55 p.m., this truck occupied by a stocky Hispanic male, pulled into the Okeechobee Sheriff’s Office Animal Control. He then backed up to the fenced in area of the building.

This area is a fenced in area that is utilized during business hours as the dog play area. The fence surrounding this area is approximately 6 foot high with three strands of barbed wire on top of the fence [making the fence actually at least 7 feet tall or more].

The suspect then gets out, climbs into the bed of the truck, picked the puppy up and threw her over the seven-foot plus fence. She sustained a broken back leg that required surgery and pins placed in the leg. 

Nalas New Life Rescue came to Okeechobee and relocated her for the surgery. The victim puppy is described as a female, Cur dog pit bull mix, approximately six months old.

The suspect’s truck is described as a Ford, 4-door, two tone dark blue/gold on bottom.

If you know the identity of this suspect or have seen this truck, contact Deputy Rusty Hartsfield, (863)763-3117. Michele Bell, Bell, PIO

SIDE NOTE: 
Although the article is referring to the puppy as a Cur dog mix, I'm not so sure. Nala's new Life Rescue's Facebook site has this dog listed as a Cur dog as well. But anyway, that's why I'm listing in the labels, "pit bull" rather than "cur". 

(CBS 8 San Diego - Jan 13, 2017)