Studies have shown that those who abuse animals are likely to harm a person as well. Now animal advocates are working with law enforcement to stop the violence before it escalates.
Phil Arkow, the founder of the Link Foundation is forming a local coalition of law enforcement, animal control, prosecutors, and veterinary medicine staff, to begin to track the abuser before it escalates to murder.
In 2016 the FBI is adding animal cruelty to uniform crime reports used by 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the country. They will be able to track, study and even can stop the abuse before it gets to humans.
Kyle Roman Hall was arrested for beating his dog with a sawed off shotgun in Port St Lucie, police reports show this came just before threatening his girlfriend.
In 2014 in Fort Pierce, officers found 2 starved and flea infested dogs at Elizabeth Yeary’s home. Inside there were 3 children under the age of 4, all living in the same feces and filth.
But even if the crimes are tracked, State Attorney Dave Aronberg says the punishment is lacking.
Aronberg prosecuted the case of Bella who was found starving and tied to pole at Anthony Herring’s Delray Beach home. Convicted this year of felony charges of animal cruelty, he will serve 9 months in jail.
Aronberg says the laws need to be tougher against animal abusers to protect not only our pets– but to stop the abusers from getting to the next weakest link–often women and children.
