In Jensen Beach, Florida, a 62-year-old man faces animal cruelty charges related to reports of a five-month-old puppy testing positive for cocaine exposure.
Martin County Sheriff’s Office responded to the incident after witnesses contacted officers stated they had been hearing repeated and plaintive cries coming from a puppy. Neighbors alleged to having seen Burt Sparhawk, holding the puppy over his head while trying to strangle it with the leash.
When officers asked Sparhawk what he was doing, the suspect claimed the puppy was having a seizure. He then walked away and told the neighbors to take the puppy to a veterinarian. An officer immediately transported the puppy to an emergency animal hospital where it was treated for seizures. It was there that veterinarians stated the cause of the seizures had been exposure to cocaine.
Sparhawk claimed the puppy had eaten something bad in the woods which had caused the seizures.
Another witness reported observing more abuse involving the puppy. She stated Sparhawk wrapped the dog’s leash around its throat and repeatedly lifted the dog off the ground by the leash. The puppy had been choking and unsuccessfully trying to bark. Instead it would cry out each time Sparhawk released it back onto the ground.
The puppy remains in protective custody with the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast at this time
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