A Florida woman is in jail after taping her dog's mouth shut with duct tape. The investigation led to numerous other reprehensible violations.
This investigation began when deputies in Polk County became aware of a photo circulating on Facebook of the dog pictured below with duct tape tightly wrapped around his mouth. The investigation led them to a woman and her son who had found and rescued the victimized dog, "Copper".
The Good Samaritan told deputies that she had found Copper hiding under a wheel chair ramp. She reported this sweet dog was in obvious distress and appeared to be hyperventilating.
The woman and her son were able to coax Copper from under the ramp and carefully remove the tape. This instantly allowed Copper to breathe freely, providing much needed relief.
Copper was taken to a veterinarian for evaluation. Under closer inspection, it was determined that Copper was malnourished and had markings around the neck that indicated Copper had been tied up for a long time. There was also obvious scarring from the duct tape.
The investigation would lead deputies to the door of a RV and more disturbing discoveries.
Copper's owner was revealed to be 57-year-old Tammy Roosa. Tammy admitted to deputies that she had taped Copper's mouth shut because Copper had tried to bite her. She felt she was resolutely justified in her actions.
An inspection of Tammy's living quarters revealed seven cats, a duck, three fish, two lovebirds, and two finches. All of the animals, and Tammy, were living amidst piles of garbage that were teeming with roaches.
Deputies reported the smell as an almost unbearable mixture of feces and urine. Polk County Fire and Rescue measured the ammonia levels inside of the RV to be a staggering 100 parts per million. Levels as high as this cause eye irritation and respiratory problems.
In conjunction with the living quarters, the property also had piles of garbage in waist-high grass. Authorities discovered raw sewage due to leaking septic pipes and an innumerable amount of flies and mosquitoes.
Tammy Roosa was booked into Polk County Jail on charges of aggravated animal cruelty, animal neglect, operating an unpermitted landfill, maintaining a nuisance injurous to health, and resisting an officer without violence.
All the animals confiscated from the property are expected to recover.
Comments
Post a Comment