A North Fort Myers woman has been charged with felony animal abuse for beating pets at her grooming business in Sarasota, police said.
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SARASOTA, FL — A North Fort Myers woman has been arrested on animal cruelty charges for her treatment of pets that occurred at her Sarasota pet grooming business, police said.
Sarasota police detectives were initially investigating Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming at 1129 S. Tamiami Trail for financial crimes when they discovered a pattern of animal abuse by the business owner, Diana Stevens, 41, according to a statement.
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Store employees told detectives they saw Stevens abuse the animals while he was grooming them, and on several occasions, they had to intervene. Customers also reported that their pets behaved abnormally after being picked up from the business.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for the store and collected video evidence of animal abuse supporting allegations that Stevens beat, scolded, and threw the animals while he was grooming them.
A former employee told investigators that Stevens “would hit and hit the dogs (and) he was rough on the cats and would hit them,” according to the probable cause affidavit for his arrest. “He messes up the cats and turns them upside down and he ties the cats up while he’s fixing them, which is dangerous … (and) can break the cat’s neck.”
Another employee told police they saw Stevens grooming the golden doodle “hardly” and when the dog didn’t comply, he punched it several times in the ribs and stomach with a closed fist.
That employee also saw Stevens throw a Persian-ragdoll cat against a wall when he got frustrated with it and hit a black cat’s head on a grooming table.
Stevens and another employee also bought French bulldog puppies to sell and kept them in the store. The dogs were kept in a small box and lived on their own feces and urine, the affidavit said. One of the puppies died without care over the weekend.
Stevens was arrested on March 8 on five counts of aggravated animal abuse (felony) and five counts of animal cruelty (misdemeanor).
Anyone with information on this case is asked to email Detective Sullivan at [email protected] or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling or online at www.sarasotacrimestoppers.com.
