LEE COUNTY, Fla. — A Lehigh Acres resident has been arrested for animal cruelty after letting a seven-month-old puppy "cook" in the sun for six hours.
On Tuesday, March 28, 2023, Lee County Deputies responded to an animal distress call at Bryan Avenue North in Lehigh Acres.
When deputies arrived at the house they found a seven-month-old English bulldog mix named Oreo caged outside in the sun with no food or water.
Sheriff Carmine Marceno said the cage was too small for Oreo to be in and kept the dog from moving around or laying down.
Sheriff Marceno said this forced Oreo to stand the entire six hours he was kept outside.
Deputies found Oreo dead in the cage with his teeth still biting the metal cage from trying to chew his way out.
The Lee County domestic animal service recorded the temperature around Oreo at 127 degrees.
During the investigation officials also found that Oreo's internal temperature was too high to read on the thermometer, meaning his temperature was over 109.4 degrees.
Later when the suspect arrived back at the home he told deputies "he put the dog outside in the cage because he didn't want the dog to tear things up."
Deputies then arrested Jonathan Benitez for aggravated animal cruelty.
