Man charged with abandoning dog in floodwaters as Florida residents evacuated ahead of hurricane

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A man has been arrested for animal cruelty after authorities say he abandoned his dog in floodwaters along a highway as residents evacuated last week because of Hurricane Milton. The 23-year-old man was charged Monday with felony aggravated animal cruelty. A case docket hadn’t yet been posted online so it was unknown if he had an attorney. The dog, nicknamed Trooper by the Florida Highway Patrol, was found alive last Wednesday in floodwaters up to his chest along Interstate 75 in the Tampa area. At the time, residents were evacuating Florida’s Gulf Coast hours before the Category 3 hurricane made landfall.