FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A South Florida man is accused of leaving 10 dogs in a non-ventilated storage unit without food or water, authorities said.
According to a news release from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, Cassius Ali Cooper, 34, of Fort Lauderdale, was arrested on Thursday. He is facing 10 counts of animal cruelty involving torment, animal cruelty resulting in deprivation and mutilation of animals.
According to the sheriff’s office, detectives responded to a call at TMT Properties, an outside storage facility in Pompano Beach, after receiving a call on June 3 from another tenant at the facility, WPLG-TV reported.
Detectives said they heard whimpering and barking coming from a unit, according to WFOR-TV. The sheriff’s office said that detectives discovered 10 dogs “in distress” inside the non-ventilated unit.
Detectives found the dogs in four cages, with a “foul odor” coming from within the unit. The first cage had two puppies and six were …