A couple accused of armed robbery of a Florida home improvement store now also face animal cruelty charges, police say.
At 2 p.m. on Feb. 11, officers with the Cape Coral Police Department were called to a Lowe's store to investigate a robbery. A loss prevention officer alerted police that a man and a woman wearing matching Cookie Monster pajama pants tried to leave the store with items they did not pay for. When questioned, the man allegedly "flashed a gun in his waistband and made threats," according to a press release. The woman is accused of spitting on the store's loss prevention officers.
Just before 1 a.m. on Feb. 12, 22-year-old Charlie Jorge Perez and 19-year-old Jalina Analise Sepulveda were arrested for the robbery and taken to the Lee County Jail.
That same morning, a search warrant was executed on their Cape Coral home. Police say they noticed an "overwhelming stench of animal feces and urine."
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Officers say they found four mixed-breed French bulldogs in cages in the couple's bedroom. The dogs appeared to have been in the cages for some time, and were suffering from the skin condition Dermodectic Mange. The animals also had open sores, CCPD says.
Police say one of the dog's toes was stuck in the bottom of the cage and was swollen. They reportedly noticed feces in the water bowls and cages, which created unsanitary conditions for the animals.
A witness told officers they believed the dogs had not been out of their cages for four months.
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Lee County Animal Control responded. They freed the dog's foot from the cage, removed the dogs who needed additional assistance from the cages and had to carry two of them out to the animal control van.
Three additional dogs were found in the home's living room, and investigators say they appeared to be "much healthier" than the dogs found in the bedroom. Three cats that appeared to be healthy were also found in the home.
Due to the condition of the French bulldogs, all 10 animals were seized by Animal Control and taken for treatment.
Police say Perez and Sepulveda neglected the dogs, causing unnecessary pain and suffering. The two willingly relinquished ownership of their animals.
Perez has been charged with four counts of animal cruelty and one count of robbery with a firearm.
Sepulveda faces four counts of animal cruelty, one count of principle in the robbery with a firearm and one count of battery.
Both remain in custody, according to online jail records. They are expected in court March 5.
