JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man is charged with 16 counts of aggravated animal cruelty.
Tommie Eugene Mercer III, 20, was taken into custody Sunday after Animal Care and Protective Services found 12 adult dogs and four puppies in inhumane conditions in kennels at his house, according to a complaint.
The complaint shows the dogs had no potable water, little food, cages filled with feces and urine, and were emaciated. The dogs are now being cared for at ACPS, which is trying to get sole legal custody of the animals.
According to an arrest report, the case against Mercer began on Sept. 24, when a neighbor reported an awful smell coming from Mercer’s home, along with the sound of barking dogs. An animal control officer went to the home and found 16 canines, most of which were hound dogs, that were used for hunting, according to Mercer.
In addition to dogs being emaciated, according to investigators, some had ear infections and worms. And, according to investigators, the dogs appeared to have not been receiving veterinarian care.
Neighbors also said they could hear the dogs crying.
“Every once and a while, we could hear a lot of cries. Not like normal dog whimpering, wanting to come inside, but it broke our hearts hearing it," said Taylor Moening. "You could tell something was up.”
The arrest report stated that when Mercer was questioned about the condition of the dogs and their kennels, he said, “I work 55 hours per week.” Mercer then acknowledged having custody of all 16 dogs for an entire year, the report shows.
Court records show that the animal control officer gave Mercer six written citations for not taking good care of the dogs, but by the time the state attorney’s office reviewed the case, a warrant was issued for Mercer’s arrest on 16 counts of aggravated animal cruelty, which is a third-degree felony.
The warrant was served on Sunday. As of Monday afternoon, Mercer remained in the Duval County jail on $40,000 bond, according to online jail records.
Mercer’s grandfather, Eugene Mercer I, owns the home but said he and his wife were out of town when ACPS showed up. He told News4Jax the dogs, which he confirmed were used for hunting, were well taken care of and disputes the complaints against his grandson.
“The smell got spread around. Before we could get it cleaned up, the rain pushed it around," he said.
Mercer’s grandfather also confirmed his grandson was working long hours at his job and was trying to juggle time at his job with taking care of the dogs.
“He was feeding the dogs. ... He wasn’t mistreating the dogs,” he said. “The dogs were not crying. They were howling at every other dog.”