Florida: For twenty minutes, Donte Francis punched, beat, slammed, threw, abused and tried to drown his Pit Bull. Now he's been charged with Felony Animal Cruelty

FLORIDA -- The Tallahassee Police Department has arrested a man on charges of animal cruelty.

Donte Francis, 34, was arrested at his home in the 2000 block of Sheridan Drive by an animal control officer with Tallahassee Police Department.

The officer was responding to a call from a witness who told police he saw Francis on top of his Pit Bull, punching it with closed fists.

The witness took a video of Francis’ cruelty and showed it to officers, who observed him punch the dog about 18 times, throw it in the pool and hold its head under water, choke it and pick it up, slamming it to the ground.

A police report on the incident says the entire episode of Francis’ abuse took place over 20 minutes.

When officers arrived at Francis’ home to ask him about the footage, they said they saw the dog in a pen in the back yard and were concerned that it was not moving. 

The arrest report says Francis told officers he had “washed his dog in the back yard.”

Francis was charged with felony animal cruelty.  Francis was booked into the Leon County Jail and was released Wednesday after posting $1,000 bail. Officers took the dog to a local shelter.

Investigators are continuing to follow up with the case and are asking anyone with information to call (850) 891-4200, or if they choose to remain anonymous, to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 574-TIPS.

ARREST INFO:
Full Name: Donte Keyon Francis
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 180
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
DOB: 10/10/1982
Arrest age: 34
Address: 2018 Sheridan Drive, Tallahassee FL
Charges:
Felony Animal Cruelty pursuant to Florida Statute 828.12(2)

(WCTV - August 16, 2017)

Texas: Local officer rescues red-tailed hawk from swimming pool

TEXAS -- A juvenile red-tailed hawk that a local police officer rescued over the weekend has already been released back into the wild after a short recuperation.

Officer Tyler Ziegler, a Lacy Lakeview police officer, rescued the injured bird Saturday from a home Peaceful Drive after a caller reported the bird was floating in a swimming pool.

“I got the call and when I pulled up to the house a boy came out with the bird wrapped in a towel, all wet,” Ziegler said.

“I took it into the woods and dried it off, but it acted like it was injured,” Ziegler said.

He took the bird to the Waco animal shelter where staff notified Rachael Sine, a licensed Texas Wildlife Rehabilitator, who could properly care for the bird.

“It’s already gone,” Sine said Tuesday.

“It came in, stayed a couple of days and we released it back into the wild this (Tuesday) morning,” she said.

Sine said she has a menagerie at her home where she cares for any type of wild animal except eagles, she said.

(KWTX - Aug 1, 2017)

Alabama: Juveniles, aged 12, 13 and 17, stole a Pit Bull puppy and then tortured it to death by beating and drowning it

ALABAMA -- Three juveniles in Carbon Hill have been arrested for stealing and then abusing a puppy on June 27.

Acting Police Chief Jason Hare on Thursday said the crime involved a 3-month-old pit pull dog. He said there is no clear motive yet about the crime.

“The Carbon Hill Police Department has arrested three juveniles in a cruelty to animal case where a dog was beaten and a drowning was attempted (with the dog as the victim). The dog was rescued but died at a later date,” Hare said in a statement he released that day, noting that the juveniles have been taken to the Walker County Juvenile Detention Center and that all suspects are innocent until proven guilty.

“The Carbon Hill Police Department and the citizens of Carbon Hill will not tolerate this type of behavior. If anyone choses to participate in this type of behavior, they will be charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.

After reading the statement, Hare was asked how this compares to other animal cruelty cases he has seen in the county.

“This is actually the worst one I’ve ever been on,” he said. “When I worked with the county, we had more people who would not feeding their dogs or giving them water and stuff like that. But as far as actually abusing a dog like this, this is the first one I’ve ever worked.” 

Hare said the incident happened between noon and 2 p.m. The dog was stolen from the yard of a local residence a few blocks from the city police department, breaking through a fence to take the dog.

The juveniles, who were 12, 13 and 17 years old, took the puppy to the Carbon Hill Swimming Pool, Hare said.

Lifeguards turned them away, telling the youth to take the puppy back home, as they could not bring it to the swimming pool.

“Then they proceeded to the creek behind the swimming pool, and that is where they beat the dog and tried to drown the dog,” he said. 

“What happened was the lifeguards heard the puppy screaming in pain as it was being tortured, beat and drowned, so they went down there to check it out to see what was going on.

“As they were walking down, I guess the kids heard them coming up, and they took off running. They left the dying puppy wrapped in a shirt. The puppy was barely alive, but passed away a couple of days later.”

Hare said a thorough investigation was made, interviewing the suspects in the process. The parents of the youth were brought in. They were taken to the Walker County Courthouse, where the police and the owner of the dog decided to press charges.

One juvenile was charged with theft of property and the other two were charged with cruelty to animals, Hare said.

“I would also like to thank Keiffer Guthrie, who is one of our officers, officer Antoine Cobb and dispatcher Brittany Chambers for a job well done,” Hare said.

WITHOUT SWIFT AND FORCED MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTION, THE FBI HAS CLEARLY MADE A CONNECTION BETWEEN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WHO TORTURE AND KILL ANIMALS FOR THEIR AMUSEMENT AND ADULTS WHO RAPE AND MURDER

According to pet-abuse.com, animal abusers are five times more likely to 

commit violent crimes than non-abusers and violent childhood and 

adolescent offenders against animals are likely to repeat the criminal 

behavior as they become adults. Studies have shown that most 

serial killers tortured animals as children.

(Mountain Eagle - July 7, 2017)

Georgia: Forrest Moore abandoned his pit bulls to starve to death. He will serve NO jail time for this horrific crime, but the skeletal pit bull which survived was given back to him!

GEORGIA -- A Dalton man charged with two counts of cruelty to animals after a dog was discovered dead in shallow water and leaves in an above-ground pool will not serve time in jail after agreeing to a plea deal in Whitfield County Superior Court.

Forrest Brent Moore was sentenced to 12 months probation and ordered to pay a $500 fine and to perform 40 hours of community service by Judge Jack Partain after pleading guilty to one of the two counts. As part of the sentence he cannot own any animals during the probation.

A message left for Moore's attorney, Ibrahim Awad, was not immediately returned Monday afternoon.

At the time of the incident in June 2016, Moore was allowed by Whitfield County Animal Control to leave with another dog found at his residence.

Moore was arrested after neighbors complained of a smell coming from 1012 Foster St., according to a Dalton Police Department incident report at the time of his arrest. Neighbors said Moore had been gone for more than a week, leaving behind two pit bulls.

Officer Bruce Franks found one of the pit bulls “severely malnourished,” and found a bucket to give the dog some water. The other pit bull was found dead in the above-ground pool, lying in a couple of inches of water, leaves and debris.

The officer noted it appeared the dog had gotten into the pool to get water and hadn’t been able to get out, and had been dead for “several days and was bloated.”

THE ABUSED DOG TO BE HANDED BACK TO ITS ABUSER, THE MAN WHO NEARLY STARVED IT TO DEATH - WHERE IS THE DOG NOW?

On June 2, the police department was trying to get a warrant for Moore’s arrest when he showed up at Animal Control and produced ownership papers and records for vaccination for the dog that was still alive.

While Moore was there, shelter personnel contacted Animal Control Deputy Brandon Norwood, who attempted to get in contact with Franks, who was not working that day, and instead was put in touch with Dalton Code Enforcement Officer Chris Cochran, who was helping deal with the condition and health hazards of the pool as well as other code enforcement issues at the property.

Norwood said he asked Cochran if he wanted Norwood to keep Moore at the animal shelter, but said Cochran said the warrant hadn’t been processed and to give the dog back to Moore.

(Dalton Daily Citizen - April 3, 2017)

Earlier:

• Georgia: Forrest Moore, 32, was charged with cruelty but because of officer's mistake, he was allowed to reclaim the dog he abused

New Jersey: State trooper rescues drowning deer from swimming pool

NEW JERSEY -- A New Jersey state trooper rescued a deer drowning in a swimming pool on Friday.

New Jersey State Trooper Dwayne Phillips was dispatched to a home in Harmony Township where he found the deer struggling for dear life in a swimming pool, WPIX reported.

“Now believe it or not, we don't necessarily teach recruits in the academy how to rescue drowning deer, but we do teach them how to think on their feet and adapt and improvise when a peculiar situation presents itself." New Jersey State Police said in a Facebook post.

“Well, he grabbed the buck by its rack and pulled him from the water to safety!”

“Now, there is always the possibility of serious injury or worse when trying to rescue a drowning victim and even more so when the victim is a wild animal. But this trooper did an outstanding job!

"He was so exhausted that he hunkered down on the ground for some time before he could regain enough energy to even stand.

"We are happy to report that he eventually regained his strength and ran back into the woods.

“The most rewarding thing that we can do as troopers is to save a life, human or animal,” New Jersey State Police said.

(Breitbart.com - Oct 23, 2016)

United Kingdom: Stag rescued from swimming pool by firefighters

UNITED KINGDOM -- A stag was rescued in the early hours of the morning after it had fallen into a swimming pool.

The fire service was called by the RSPCA to a house in Cherry Green Lane, Westmill, at 2.23am.

A water rescue team was dispatched to the village near Buntingford and the animal was hauled from the water using hose lines.

 

The rescue took around three hours and involved the rescue team and a fire crew from Buntingford.

A spokeswoman for the fire service said the incident was over by 5.25am.

(Hertfordshire Mercury UK - July 18, 2016)

Texas: Game wardens and police officers relocate alligators found in swimming pool

TEXAS -- Two small alligators made their way into a Gladewater resident's pool Tuesday, and were wrangled by game wardens and Gladewater police officers.

Game wardens say the home was located near the Sabine River and the recent flooding likely drew the gators closer to the house. They say they were about 3-4 feet long.

No one was hurt. The homeowners tell us they are working to turn the pool into a pond and do not use it.

 

 

Officials have returned the gators back to the Sabine River.

(KLTV - June 15, 2016)

Canada: First responders rescue horse that fell into swimming pool

CANADA -- It was no musical ride for the RCMP May 11 as it joined a team of rescuers to save an escaped horse from drowning.

The horse had fallen into an in-ground swimming pool at a residence on the Mill Road in North Wiltshire, said a statement from police. At approximately 8:10 p.m., Queens District RCMP and North River fire department were called to assist with the rescue.

"The horse had escaped from its pasture and somehow stepped onto the canvas pool cover, partly falling through. "The canvas was sufficient to keep the horse above water until it could be rescued," said the report.

Firefighters and RCMP officers were able to secure the animal with ropes and remove it to safety as part of a group effort.

Joining the groups was staff from the University of Prince Edward Island's Atlantic Veterinary College.

"The 33-year-old horse received treatment for hypothermia and some minor cuts and abrasions, however some warm encouragement from its owner and those in attendance resulted in the horse walking back to its barn under its own power at about 11 p.m.," said police.

The RCMP credits the work of the North River fire department and UPEI volunteers for the successful rescue.

(The Coast Guard CA - May 14, 2016)

Three-month-old horse rescued from backyard pool

OREGON -- A three-month-old filly had to be rescued by firefighters Thursday, July 30, according to Columbia River Fire & Rescue.

The young horse was either “unable” or “unwilling” to get out of the pool after entering it, according to an email from Greg Brody, a lieutenant at the Rainier fire station, passed along to the Spotlight on Thursday by Fire Chief Jay Tappan.

Firefighters reportedly responded to the scene in a backyard on Dike Road at about 8:43 a.m. Several other fire district personnel, including two mechanics, arrived afterward “to offer muscle,” as Brody put it.

“Using a fire hose as a sling, the horse 'Amy Lou' was removed safely from the pool,” Brody concluded. “Eventually, she made it back onto her feet and reunited with her concerned mother.”

(Pamplin Media Group - Aug 4, 2015)

Hawk rescued after cannonballing into pool

MASSACHUSETTS -- A hawk in Massachusetts was treated to an impromptu salon day after it fell into a pool.

Ken Buzzell was mowing his lawn on Thursday evening when he noticed something unusual—a hawk in his pool. The Merrimac resident used his pool’s leaf skimmer to rescue the raptor while his wife Kathy called Animal Control.

The problem is, Animal Control in Merrimac isn’t equipped to handle wild animals, according to a statement from the Merrimac Police Department. But it was after hours, so Animal Control Officer Lisa Young stepped up.

 

“The bottom line is we live in a small town and you do what you’re supposed to do,” she said in the statement. “It doesn’t matter what time it is, or what it entails. We pride ourselves on being able to help our residents whenever they ask for it.”

When Young arrived almost two hours later, the hawk was still shivering from its dip in the deep end. Although it was standing and didn’t appear to have any injuries, it had hypothermia.

Young used a hair dryer provided by Kathy to warm up and dry out the sopping bird. They covered it with blankets inside a dog crate for the night.

When Kathy opened the crate the next morning, the hawk took flight.

“He flew like he’d never skipped a beat,” Young said. “If it weren’t for the immediate action of the Buzzells, the hawk probably would not have made it.”

(Boston.com - Jul 25, 2015)

Florida: Injured pet pig is hospitalized after found loose with pit bulls from the same Broward home

FLORIDA -- When police and Broward County Animal Control arrived at a home at Pembroke Pines on Friday night, they found an unusual scene: A pig in a swimming pool, bleeding, while being harassed by two pit bulls.

Pembroke Pines police are now investigating whether to file criminal charges against a home owner who owns all three animals.

The pig, named Miss Piggy, and the pit bulls got loose outside the home Friday evening, according to police.

The owner of the home where the animals live, in 9300 block of Northwest 23rd Street., was not present when police and Animal Control arrived and found the injured pig in the backyard pool, with the pit bulls nearby.

Broward County Animal Control rushed the pig to Lauderdale Veterinary Specialists, where emergency surgery was performed.

Doctors gave the pig fluids, cleaned her wounds and sutured them.

“Fortunately for Miss Piggy, as long as her wounds don’t become infected, her prognosis is good and I expect her to make a full recovery,” said Dr. Ira Zaslow of Lauderdale Veterinary Specialists.

The two pit bulls were taken into custody by Broward County Animal Control, which issued citations.

An investigation is ongoing “for possible criminal charges,” said Pembroke Pines Sergeant Darryl Curtiss. The name of the animals’ owner was not released.

(Miami Herald - July 4, 2015)

Horse rescued from swimming pool

UNITED KINGDOM -- Firefighters used diggers to rescue a horse which took an unexpected swim in an outdoor pool.

Fire crews from Cheddar and Bridgwater were called to an address in Chapel Allerton, near Burnham in Somerset, on Wednesday afternoon.

On arrival, they discovered a horse trapped in a swimming pool on New Road, which was filled with around four feet of water.

Crews attached a harness to the animal and lifted it out using a digger.

A spokesman for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said a vet was on scene and had sedated the horse before the fire service arrived.

“Fire crews attached a lifting device to the horse and assisted in rescuing it using a mechanical digger," he said.

"The horse was in not in distress and was successfully rescued."

(North Devon Journal - May 16, 2015)

Rescuers save horse from Woodford Co. pool

KENTUCKY -- It's not the type of call first responders typically receive. Emergency crews responded to a Woodford County home on Thursday after receiving a report of a horse in a swimming pool. Woodford County Animal Control, the fire department, emergency management and Anderson County Large Animal Rescue all showed up to help.

"You never know when you got an animal in distress, what you are going to have to do," said Woodford County Emergency Management Director Keith Slugantz. He says the horse belonged to a neighbor. There was no telling how long it was in the water before crews arrived.

"The property owner woke up this morning and goes out and finds his horse in the pool," said Slugantz. He says it broke through a fence and

tried to walk though the cover of the in-ground pool.

"Not knowing what that cover was, walked on it and fell through. Of course, he was in distress and tied up in that cover," said Slugantz. Rescuers cut the cover away. Firefighters got the horse to the shallow part of the pool. The 1,200 pound horse was then pulled out and examined by a veterinarian.

"They started IV drips on this horse as soon as it got out of the water and then they had blankets for it," said Slugantz. The rescue lasted about two hours. Officials say they're happy with how it turned out.

"Had a good outcome for this horse and that's what our intent was," says Slugantz.

(WKYT - Jan 22, 2015)

Deer rescued after poking head through pool cover

WISCONSIN -- A Department of Natural Resources warden helped rescue a doe that became trapped under a pool cover in Delafield, Wisconsin.

The homeowner called the DNR last Friday, Dec. 12, after the deer broke through the cover of his emptied pool.

Warden Rick Reed says the deer apparently tried to walk across the pool cover. During its struggle to get out, its head broke through the cover at the shallow end of the pool.

Reed and the homeowner loosened the pool cover straps at that end. After loosening five or six, the doe charged out of the pool “about a foot from the homeowner and me.”

He says it stood in the yard, looking at its rescuers for two or three minutes. “And, then off she went.”

The homeowner told Reed last winter he saw fawns playing on his pool cover as though it were a trampoline.

(WFLA - Dec 16, 2014)

Horse rescued from pool at suburban house

ARIZONA -- A horse in suburban Phoenix needed rescuing after it led itself to water and did more than just drink.

Mesa firefighters say the horse was wandering outside of its pen Saturday when the animal somehow fell into the backyard swimming pool and became stuck.

  

 

  

 

Mesa Fire Capt. Forrest Smith says firefighters, with the assistance of a veterinarian, tranquilized the horse before pulling it out using several straps.

Smith says the horse was not injured.

 

(YourWestValley.com - Oct 27, 2014)

Deer Goes for Swim in Backyard Pool at Encino Home

CALIFORNIA -- Wildlife officials Saturday tranquilized a deer after it went for a swim in a pool at a home in Encino, officials said.

The incident began about 3:15 p.m. in the 6000 block of Babbitt Avenue, where the buck ran across several properties, residents said.

 

“It whizzed by me, into my back yard,” said Don Rubin. “I tried to corral him, but I could see that the animal was quite nervous.”

 The deer later jumped a 7-foot fence and ended up behind Eric Munn’s house. Its antlers became tangled in the pool’s cover, “so we kind of walked around and pulled [it] off,” said neighbor David Ellis. “He was tired. He was really tired.”

 

News video showed the deer swimming in the pool as Munn called 911. A Los Angeles Department of Animal Services officer was dispatched to the scene.

The injured buck briefly struggled at the edge of the pool before managing to climb out.

After arriving at the scene, the Animal Services officer said he was prohibited from euthanizing the deer because the laceration on its leg was not life-threatening.

The buck then ran off, and was later tranquilized and captured in a nearby garden by California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers. They planned to release the deer back into the wild after treating its injury.

“I’m glad the animal’s OK,” Munn said. “I feel a bit sad that it’s going to be hunting season in four days.”

(KTLA - September 28, 2014)

Horse rescued after falling into Goodlettsville pool

TENNESSEE -- It was not exactly splashing around, but a horse named Reba somehow fell into a Goodlettsville backyard pool before a dramatic rescue Friday morning.

It happened at a home located in the 1900 block of Baker Road between Freeman Hollow Road and Old Springfield Pike.

 

 

 

"I sat down inside and my wife said there is a horse in the pool and we have a pool liner over the pool or at least we did, and the horse fell through it and was barely keeping its head above it," resident Jeff Mayer said.

News 2 was first on the scene.

Goodlettsville Deputy Fire Chief Mark Becknal told News 2, "The horse was coaxed out of the pool with some carrots and apples, maybe even a little horse-whispering."

He said Reba belongs to a couple in a nearby home and fell through the pool's cover sometime overnight.

It took firefighters about an hour to get her out of the pool.

"There is not a textbook that I am aware of about how to rescue a horse from a pool," Becknal said. "I think the most difficult part was calming the horse down, because of the cold water, so we had to lead the horse to the shallower water and the horse did not know which way to go, because the horse don't know where pool steps are at."

Reba's owners are not sure how long she was in the pool.  They immediately wrapped her in blankets before walking her in a nearby field for evaluation.

(WKRN - Feb 7, 2014)