INTERLACHEN, Fla. – An investigation into suspected mistreatment of dogs led to the arrest of an Interlachen couple facing 39 counts of animal neglect. Patricia Desrosiers, 57, and James McLoon, 49, were both taken into custody on a warrant issued by the state attorneys office.
According to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the couple had been under investigation since November, 2021.
A 19-page arrest report obtained by News4Jax states that the investigation began after a probation officer who visited Mcloon alerted animal control about suspected animal neglect at the couple’s home on Swan Avenue.
According to the report, two dogs were chained up at the front of the property and one of those dogs was unable to get up off the ground. The dog that was unable to get up was taken to an animal hospital where a veterinarian determined the dog suffered trauma. The report states that the dog was eventually euthanized due to prolonged suffering and the lack of medical attention by the owners.
Two more dogs were located on the porch inside a pen filled with fecal matter and urine that was also in their water bowl. The investigator noted in the report that the two dogs were cramped in their pen and only had enough space to stand. The investigator also noted in the report that those two same dogs appeared to have not been let out of the pen for a long period of time.
The investigator discovered four more dogs in a pen on the porch that appeared to be in the same condition as the previous two dogs on the porch. The report states all four dogs in that pen had contaminated water.
While outside, the investigator located more dogs tied to a tree, one of which was tangled up and emaciated and another so aggressive that according to the investigators, Mcloon and Desrosiers would not go near it.
The report states that when the investigator entered the home, there was a strong odor of feces and urine. Dog feces covered the floor, walls, and furniture. Five dogs were running loose in the living room and the rest were confined to stacked cages in both the living room and the bedroom.
The investigator noted in the report that the dogs confined in the cages in the bedroom were covered in feces and had no access to clean water. Feces and urine were overflowing out of the cages and onto the floor. The caged animals in the bedroom barely had room to stand up and turn around. One of the caged dogs was also emaciated.
According to the report, the investigator counted 29 dogs at the property. Mcloon told the investigator that 22 of the dogs belonged to him and seven of the dogs belonged to another man who left the animals in Mcloon’s care while he was working.
The investigator contacted that man who confirmed that he left seven dogs with Mcloon because he recently lost his trailer. The man told the investigator that when he left the seven animals in the care of Mcloon, they were in good health. He also said he was never allowed to enter the home and that he never knew the condition of the animals inside the residence. According to the report, the man was unaware his dogs were left locked in stacked cages for long periods of time without clean water.
The report states that when animal control spoke with Mcloon and Desrosiers, the couple agreed to surrender eight of the 22 dogs they owned to animal control so that the animals could receive medical attention and eventually be adopted. The remaining 14 dogs were seized by animal control and taken into protective custody. The man who allowed his seven dogs to stay with the couple also surrendered his animals over to animal control so that they could receive medical treatment and be put up for adoption.
During the investigation, animal control learned none of the dogs owned by the couple had been vaccinated or received vet care while living on the property. The investigation also revealed that back in 2019, the couple was under investigation for animal neglect and surrendered nine dogs to get to a manageable number of animals on the property.
In addition to the 39-counts of animal neglect in this current case, Mcloon was also charged with cocaine possession.
The couple remains in the Putnam County Jail without bond.