top of page

ALL POSTS

Search

JOHN CLAYTON OSTEEN JR. witnessed by Brevard County Sheriff Deputies abusing a defenseless kitten

Updated: Mar 12, 2024

- Florida, USA -


Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey announced the arrest of 35-years-old JOHN CLAYTON OSTEEN (pictured) for animal cruelty among other charges.


On Monday, May 8, 2023, during his latest edition of MAFO (Mess Around and Find Out), Sheriff Ivey said: “Being a criminal is bad enough, but brutalizing a small kitten for enjoyment, man that makes you a giant bagshit.”


Sheriff Ivey said that his agents had OSTEEN under surveillance as they were trying to arrest him on a warrant for unrelated crimes he had committed a week earlier.


On Monday morning, when the sheriff’s office agents went to arrest OSTEEN, one of them saw OSTEEN who came out of the house with “a small kitten on a leash.” According to the sheriff, OSTEEN started swinging the leash around with the tiny furbaby on it. OSTEEN then placed the kitten in a carrier and proceeded to spray water into the carrier “full force”.


As soon as one of the deputies made a move to intervene, OSTEEN “ran once again ‘cause he’s a big coward. He’s tough when it comes to dealing with a kitten, but when it comes to deal with law enforcement officers about put his but in jail, he runs”, rightfully said Sheriff Ivey.


OSTEEN ran to a friend’s house but deputies were able to track him down.

The sheriff’s office Animal Services Team quickly responded and rescued three kittens.


OSTEEN was booked into the Brevard County Jail on one felony count of animal cruelty as well as fleeing and eluding, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, reckless driving, driving while license revoked, and failure to register a motor vehicle.


OSTEEN is currently being held with no bond. “That’s exactly where he belongs. I wish I could put him on a leash and swirl him around like he did the cat”, said Sheriff Ivey and I DO AGREE!


OSTEEN’s initial court appearance is set for May 9, 2023, at 1:15 p.m. before Judge Kimberly Musselman.


As Sheriff Ivey said: “If you can harm an animal, especially a small animal like that, you have the evilness in you to hurt a human.”


Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from official news outlets. Links included.

Please note that details may be removed or new information added should such sources report an update.

In the case of charges being dropped, dismissed, or the case being purged, this article will be rectified accordingly, if official documentation is provided to Voice For Us.



OSTEEN’s mugshot via Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.


Additional Source:






 
 
 

ELIZABETH JAIMES caught on camera repeatedly hitting a dog with a rubber mallet

Updated: Mar 15, 2024

- Florida, USA -



~ Update: March 15, 2024

 

On March 12, 2024, ELIZABETH JAIMES (pictured), appeared at Hillsborough County Circuit Court before Judge Mark Kiser and pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated animal cruelty with a weapon and six counts of aggravated animal cruelty.

 

Fox 13 Tampa Bay reports that JAIMES decided to plead guilty and skip the jury trial. She now faces at least five years in prison. Evidence of the horrendous abuse that JAIMES inflicted upon a defenseless 8-year-old dog named Maya was caught on video.

 

In court, Prosecutor Karri Ann Becker recounted the heartbreaking facts and said: “The defendant repeatedly struck Maya with a mallet approximately 38 times and kicked and slammed Maya and struck her furiously 26 times.”

 

The incident happened back in August 2022, at JAIMES’ boyfriend’s mother’s house on Halifax Drive in Tampa.

 

JAIMES’ sentencing hearing has been scheduled for May 10, 2024.

 

As for the Voiceless Victim, she continues to visit the vet for ongoing treatment and is still living with her guardian.


 

~ Original story:


On May 1, 2023, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office received a call reporting an animal cruelty incident at a home in the 5000 block of Halifax Drive in Town ‘n’ Country.


Responding deputies were provided with footage from an in-home security camera which showed 24-years-old ELIZABETH JAIMES (pictured) holding a dog by the leash and repeatedly striking the furbaby with a rubber mallet on the head and torso.


According to an initial press release by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the dog, a 9-year-old female Siberian Husky named Maya, was taken to the Veterinary Emergency Group where upon examination it was confirmed that she “had multiple blunt-force head and back injuries, including spine and rib fractures, and was blind in one eye.”


The sheriff’s office said that JAIMES was living in the home with her boyfriend and his mother, Maya’s guardian. Maya’s guardian told investigators that Maya suddenly started sustaining an inexplicable spate of injuries in August 2022, when JAIMES moved in. At the veterinarian’s request, Maya’s guardian installed a hidden camera in her home to see what was going on when she was not home. When Maya’s guardian reviewed the video, she realized that Maya’s injuries had been inflicted by JAIMES. In the gut-wrenching video released by the sheriff’s office, Maya can be heard yelping and crying in pain as JAIMES heartlessly and soullessly beats her time after time.

JAIMES “admitted to hitting the dog because she had growled at her” stated the release.


JAIMES was arrested on May 1, 2023, for aggravated cruelty to animals with a weapon, second degree felony. Arrest records maintained by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office show that JAIMES was released from the county jail the day after her arrest after posting a $7,500 bond.

Arrest records also show that JAIMES is a student and works at Starbucks.


The sheriff’s office said that following JAIMES’ arrest, Maya has been reunited with her guardian and is recovering at home.


Maya’s guardian has filed for an injunction on JAIMES.


In a subsequent press release, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister announced a petition for enjoinment to prevent JAIMES “from adopting or living with a pet in Hillsborough County”. The release goes on to state: “Sheriff Chronister and State Attorney Susan Lopez are pushing for this petition to be expanded statewide.”


Meanwhile, investigators continue to dig deeper into this case as they believe that “the abuse began as far back as October 2022. Since then, Maya has experienced numerous episodes of abuse, which have led to permanent damage.”


Sheriff Chronister said: “Nothing would justify this evil and callous abuse. Maya is a sweet and loving animal who did not deserve the torture she endured. This is why our investigation is so important. We need to dive deeper and determine how far the abuse goes back. We are dedicated to investigating this case and ensuring that Jaimes will be held accountable for her heinous acts.”


Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from official news outlets. Links included.

Please note that details may be removed or new information added should such sources report an update.

In the case of charges being dropped, dismissed, or the case being purged, this article will be rectified accordingly, if official documentation is provided to Voice For Us.



JAIMES’ mugshot via Hillsborough County Jail.


Additional Source:





 
 
 

LISA MARIE BENNETT arrested on thirty-nine counts of animal cruelty

- Florida, USA -


On the afternoon of Thursday, April 27, 2023, a Citrus County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a home on East Yale Lane in Hernando to assist Citrus County Animal Control Officer Gallant with an animal cruelty complaint.


According to the arrest affidavit for 56-years-old LISA MARIE BENNETT (pictured) obtained by Voice For Us, underneath the carport of the single-wide mobile home, the deputy saw three kennels that had each a dog inside, and another kennel with two dogs inside. All four kennels had layered feces and urine on the ground.


In addition to the kennels, the deputy observed a refrigerator and upon inspection, the deputy discovered that in the freezer compartment were two deceased cats wrapped in separate blankets.


In the backyard the deputy found four large wooden cages containing a total of nineteen cats. “The litter boxes in each cage were overflowing to the point where the ground inside the cages was layered with feces and urine”, stated the affidavit. Most of the cats had feces and urine matted into their fur, and two of them had open sores on their backs, as well as thick discolored mucus secreting from their tiny mouths and nose, making it difficult for them to breathe. ACO Gallant also located a deceased cat in one of the cages.


The deputy reported that the smell of ammonia emanating from the cages was so severe that it made it very difficult to breath, “even when standing multiple feet away from the cages.”


When the deputy and ACO Gallant entered the home, they said the smell of ammonia and feces was so severe that burned their eyes. “There were animal feces throughout the entire house. Some of the feces had been lying there for so long it had molded and began to disintegrate into dust”, stated the affidavit.


Inside the home, in two separate rooms, the deputy and ACO Gallant found a total of seventeen cats and two dogs. Among the dogs was a brown long-haired Chihuahua who was covered in fleas and was blind in one eye.

BENNETT said that the blindness in the Chihuahua’s eyes was due to untreated cataracts. The Chihuahua also had multiple areas of his/her fur severely matted and clumped.


ACO Gallant then advised that in October 2022, Citrus County Animal Control had issued BENNETT a citation and ordered her to fix the problems of the neglected animals and to take them to a veterinarian for care.

ACO Gallant further advised that that the dogs present at the home were in the same kennels as on October 17, 2022, and the living conditions for them were even worse than before.


BENNET said that since the citation, she has not taken any of the animals to the veterinarian and stated that she had been giving the sick and injured animals her prescribed pain medication because the medication prescribed by the vet was expensive.


When asked why she did not contact the Citrus County Animal Shelter or Animal Control to surrender the animals, and ask for assistance, BENNETT stated that she was told to stop calling.

BENNET was then questioned about the litter boxes and the conditions of the cages and the kennels. To that, she responded that it had been approximately three weeks since she had changed the litter in each of the cages.


According to the affidavit, BENNETT said “she did not have any excuse for her actions and lack of caring for all of the animals” and added that it “became too much for her to handle.”


BENNETT was also questioned about the two deceased cats in the freezer and said that they died approximately three weeks apart and she wanted to bury them together so, she froze them until she could bury them.

With regards to the deceased cat found by ACO Gallant, BENNETT said she didn’t realize a cat was missing because she had too many and lost count.


The deputy wrote in his report that due to the unnecessary, preventable, and prolonged pain and suffering the animals endured, and BENNETT admitting to willfully neglecting to take appropriate care of them, BENNET was arrested and charged with four counts of aggravated animal cruelty, and thirty-nine counts of animal cruelty.

Online records show that she is being held in Citrus County Jail on a $47,000 bond.

BENNETT’s arraignment is scheduled to take place on May 12, 2023, at 9:00a.m. before Judge Joel D. Fritton.


Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from official news outlets. Links included.

Details may be removed or additional information may be provided in future should such sources report an update.



BENNETT’s mugshot provided to Voice For Us by the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office.


Additional Source:






 
 
 

Subscribe Form

© 2025 Voice For Us

Privacy Policy

FAQ

bottom of page