JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Security cameras captured the moment a man dumped a dog, alive, into a dumpster on Jacksonville’s Southside and then took off.
It all happened at the Landings at Parkview along Barnes Road.
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A neighbor at the complex said he was going to dump his trash when he spotted the dog.
“At first, it was astonishment from such a thing happening,” Hector Umanzor said. “Makes me sad that there’s people like that still out there in this world.”
He was able to rescue the dog, and an office manager told Action News Jax one of the managers at their sister property, The Landings at Southpoint, is currently fostering her.
The dog suffers from breast cancer but otherwise is said to be OK.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office received the video Jan. 14 and is investigating.
A representative said detectives have identified a person of interest and are working with the state attorney’s office to determine a charge and make an arrest.
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Animal Control and Protective Services are also working the case.
Action News Jax’s law and safety expert, Dale Carson, explained abandoning an animal is a misdemeanor and punishable by up to 90 days in jail.
However, he said injuring an animal is a felony charge and could be worth up to five years in prison.
“The state of Florida does not tolerate cruelty to animals in any extent. I’ve had cases like this before and I’m aware the state takes it very seriously,” Carson said.
JSO said the investigation is ongoing.