Maggot-Covered Dog Leads To 2 Arrests In Sarasota

SARASOTA, FL — Two people face criminal charges after Sarasota Animal Services Officers say they found a maggot-covered dog tied to a utility trailer outside a Walnut Avenue home.

According to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, authorities were tipped off about the animal by a good Samaritan on June 5. When investigators were sent to the home in the 4100 block of Walnut Avenue, they found “Spunik,” a 14-year-old terrier mix “in extreme distress,” a media release said. The dog had matted fur, dental decay, was deaf and blind, and was covered in maggots, the agency said.

Get the Sarasota Patch newsletter and alerts in your inbox.

Spunik was taken to a local vet, who “performed humane euthanasia to end the dog’s suffering,” the sheriff’s office said.

Joseph Shepherd, 55, was charged with animal cruelty after Spunik’s death and given a notice to appear in court. Authorities say their investigation continued. Deputies say they later learned that Shepherd’s girlfriend Diana Harrelson, 62, was aware of the terrier’s condition. Harrelson, however, moved out of state.

On June 7, Harrelson reached out to animal services in an attempt to recover a dog named “Bella” that was also owned by the couple. Bella, the sheriff’s office said, had been impounded “due to excessive parasites and fleas.”

Detectives interviewed Harrelson and learned that she had previously taken Spunik to a vet in August 2016. “Harrelson claimed she didn’t have enough money to pay for euthanasia and wanted Spunik to die a natural death,” the sheriff’s office wrote.

Harrelson was arrested on Monday, June 26. She faces aggravated animal cruelty, abandoning an animal to die and animal cruelty charges. She was booked into the Sarasota County jail, but was later released in lieu of $2,120 bond.

As for Bella, she remains in the county’s care. The sheriff’s office said she will most likely be transferred to a rescue at a later date.

Keep up with what's happening by following Sarasota Patch on Facebook.

Booking photos courtesy of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office