- Florida, USA -
“Oxygen stealer, pile of trash” is how Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno referred to 37-years-old CARMELA VELAZCO SANTIAGO (pictured) after she senselessly and cruelly abused her innocent dog Blanca.
Sheriff Marceno held a press conference on Monday, May 1, during which he said that on Friday, April 29, his deputies responded to a residence on Pioneer Road in North Myers in reference to an animal in distress.
Upon arrival, deputies could hear the whimpering of a dog. When deputies looked through the fence, they saw Blanca in deplorable condition, on a short tether with no shade, no food, and no water.
Deputies made contact with the furbaby’s guardian, VELAZCO SANTIAGO.
“Blanca was so infested with fleas, that she was bleeding from several areas of her body. She was also extremely underweight and panting heavily. Blanca could not reach her food bowl which was infested by fleas because her tether had been so tangled”, said Sheriff Marceno.
Sheriff Marceno also said that Blanca was so hungry that she was starving to death and ate rocks!
Deputies immediately freed Blanca from the tangled tether and gave her water that she quickly drank.
Sheriff Marceno immediately dispatched detectives with his Animal Cruelty Task Force and North District Criminal Investigation Division to assume the investigation.
Lee County Domestic Animal Services responded and took custody of Blanca to get her the veterinarian care she “needed and deserved”.
Sheriff Marceno said that veterinarians immediately confirmed that Blanca had a “severe flea infestation causing her to be anemic.”
Blanca also had a temperature of over 103 degrees and tested positive for heartworm.
The furbaby received a blood transfusion and began her long road to recovery.
VELAZCO SANTIAGO told deputies that she had had Blanca, for 12 years and she started to chain her because Blanca was escaping to eat trash.
VELAZCO SANTIAGO was placed under arrest for a 3rd degree felony aggravated animal cruelty charge and was released the following day after posting a $5,000 bond!
Online records show VELAZCO SANTIAGO has a court date scheduled for the morning of Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at 8:30.
In thanking all those who made Blanca’s rescue possible, Sheriff Marceno extended his gratitude to the citizen who reported the abuse of the VOICELESS VICTIM.
An understandably angry Sheriff Marceno said about VELAZCO SANTIAGO: “This disgusting excuse for a human being had no regard for Blanca’s wellbeing. Thinking of the abuse that Blanca suffered, it sickens me. Lucky for Santiago, the Marceno Motel will provide her food and clean water even though she don’t deserve that.”
He went on to say: “I want to talk for a second while we always respect and protect people’s constitutional rights, okay? When we spoke to her, she felt she did nothing wrong and the dog should be euthanized.”
Sheriff Marceno rightfully said: “She should be euthanized!”
WINK News spoke to VELAZCO SANTIAGO’s neighbors who say she also has other dogs who are well cared for.
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