Brevard County deputies have caught and arrested a man accused of leaving a pit bull mix so malnourished, authorities had no choice but to euthanize the dog.
The Brevard County Sheriff's Office said deputies arrested Joseph Raymond Frederick on Monday afternoon in an unincorporated area of West Cocoa.
Outrage has poured out from the community after deputies identified Frederick, 39, as the owner of an extremely malnourished dog named "Romeo."
"We've heard dogs whining, dogs that sounded like they were being injured," said neighbor Sharon Farnsworth, who lives a few doors away from the mobile home on Ash Drive, where several signs warning "Beware of Dog" and "No Trespassing" were posted.
Farnsworth said she knew her neighbor had dogs, and recently the barking and noise had gotten worse.
"Practically everybody on this street doesn't understand why these dogs were yelping like that all the time," Farnsworth said.
Sheriff's investigators said they found Romeo on the property in a state of starvation. Romeo's ribs were showing in a photo released by the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies took Romeo to a veterinarian, but it was too late; they said they had no choice but to put down the dog.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said even some of Frederick's friends wanted to turn him in, "because they are so outraged over what he did."
A Facebook post by the sheriff's office asking for help finding Frederick read, "Anyone who would do this to a pet needs to be in jail, and we need your help to find him."
"This is one where we want to get this individual off the street," Ivey added. "I've got a great bed already picked out for him that will be his new home when we get him in our jail."
"He should be charged," said Farnsworth.