Overview
- A caller reported seeing a dog trying to climb out and Flagler County deputies found the U-Haul at a RaceTrac in Palm Coast on Thursday before opening the roll-up door and removing the animals.
- Deputies discovered a 70-pound pit bull mix struggling to stand and an about 80-pound English bulldog unable to stand, both lying in urine and drinking water given by officers.
- Flagler County Animal Control transported the two dogs and two full-grown pigeons, which were sealed in a storage box with no air holes, to East Coast Animal Hospital for emergency treatment and deemed them neglected.
- Driver Angel Valdes, 70, and his son Roy Valdes Hernandez, 35, were booked on misdemeanor animal-cruelty charges and later released on $500 bond while investigators forwarded information on two other adults to the state attorney's office for review.
- Sheriff Rick Staly urged the public not to leave animals in hot vehicles, and the sheriff’s office uploaded photos and body-worn camera footage to evidence files as the case remains under active review.