COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — How far would you go to protect your pet? After a First Coast family’s dog was shot and killed by their neighbor, they teamed up with an animal activist to make changes at the state level to the animal cruelty law.
This is what the family views as justice for their dog, Zena. Senate Bill 1122 along with House Bill 731 would revise the animal cruelty law to make it more specific and charge people with felonies if they intentionally kill an animal.
The family of Zena, Ryan Crosby and Amanda Bailey, want to see these changes because in Zena’s case, the person who shot and killed her was charged with a misdemeanor.
Zena was killed in April 2020. Crosby says he let his two dogs out in the front yard that day and then went inside to grab a drink.
The Columbia County police report says when Crosby walked back outside, he saw his neighbor walking towards Crosby’s house with a gun in hand. The neighbor told police Zena had been killing his chickens and chasing his cat over the past year. Crosby says his neighbor went up to his dog, shot and killed her.
The man who admitted to shooting Zena received a deferred prosecution agreement in the pretrial phase.
Crosby and Bailey, Zena's owners, teamed up with the animal activist behind Ponce’s Law, Debbie Darino, who was heartbroken and motivated by Zena’s story.
“I don’t want that to ever happen again," Darino said. "It happens quite a bit. These cases are not being prosecuted properly. They are being charged with a misdemeanor when they should be charged with felonies.”
Under the current statute, killing an animal is a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge.
The statue reads "A person who unnecessarily overloads, overdrives, torments, deprives of necessary sustenance or shelter, or unnecessarily mutilates, or kills any animal, or causes the same to be done, or carries in or upon any vehicle, or otherwise, any animal in a cruel or inhumane manner, commits animal cruelty, a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or by a fine of not more than $5,000, or both."
In Florida, minimum sentencing guidelines are not applied to misdemeanors. It’s the wording of the law that can change the charge to a felony.
The bill has been filed. It is sponsored by a state senator out of Volusia County and it is currently being referred to a committee.
Darino believes this will soon be law.
“Zena was just a one-year-old pup doing what puppies do," Darino said. "To go in to the house and shoot this dog in the rear and then shoot it in the head and only be charged with a misdemeanor when it clearly was a felony, the intent was there.”
I was unable to reach the family before this update aired, but Darino says they keep in touch often to make sure Zena’s death wasn’t for nothing.
The Florida Legislature regular session begins next week.