SEMINOLE, Fla. — A 26-year-old man was arrested and is now facing charges of animal cruelty after multiple skeletal remains were found inside a home in Seminole, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office reports.
An arrest affidavit from the agency explains Scott Newmark "did intentionally commit an act to an animal which resulted in cruel death, or did excessively or repeatedly inflict unnecessary pain or suffering..."
Authorities were first alerted of the skeletal remains after the house in Seminole was recently sold in an auction. The new owner found the bones of a dog in one of the bedrooms.
After officials with Pinellas County Animal Services were called and on scene, they reportedly found two more animals – a mummified dog and skeletal remains of a cat.
All three were found in rooms with no food or water and where feces were piled up, the affidavit explains.
There were traces of fabric found in the feces which matched fabric found in the room. This led officials to believe the animals were eating it because there was no actual food for them.
"There was also evidence one dog chewed through the door in an attempt to escape," the sheriff's office explains in the affidavit.
One of the dogs found was microchipped which helped detectives figure out that the listed owner was Newmark. The cat was also microchipped which showed it was adopted by the 26-year-old back in 2019 from Second Chance for Strays.
The third dog found was reported stolen back in 2021.
