A man was arrested after severely beating a puppy, according to the Live Oak Police Department.
On March 31, LOPD officers responded to a report of animal abuse. At the scene, they found Jenny Lynn Mayes, a witness to the crime, holding the 10-week-old, brown mixed-breed female puppy.
“Officers observed the puppy had several cuts around her ear, swollen eyes, and blood coming from her nose and ears,” the department shared in a social media post.
Mayes helped authorities identify the abuser as Eric Ivan Roldan, which led to his interview and arrest. Mayes told officers she witnessed Roldan “wrapping the puppy in a blanket and then simultaneously kicking, stomping, and slamming the puppy against the ground.”
Roldan was taken to Suwannee County jail and has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty.
The puppy was taken to a local veterinarian for treatment but had to be transferred to Oviedo Veterinary Hospital later that day after her condition worsened.
She was then placed in a medically induced coma to give her body time to heal. CT scans revealed a detached eye, skull fractures, and severe swelling around her head.
A nonprofit organization, Livin’ Like Larry Farm Sanctuary, joined the effort to save the puppy’s life, starting a fundraiser to cover her skull repair surgery.
The campaign has raised more than $32,000 so far. Krystal Detty, the sanctuary’s director, named the puppy “Sweetpea” and has kept the public updated on her health:
“Sweetpea is currently at the vet hospital,” she wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Despite everything, she is stable. She’s breathing on her own and showing signs of resilience. Her ear was stitched back up, and she received a blood transfusion. Sweetpea has a will to live and is defying all odds and is now able to eat and walk!”
On Saturday, Detty shared that Sweetpea had made it through her first night in the ICU after a significant reconstructive skull surgery.
“However,” she wrote, “the neurosurgeon discovered an abscess around her brain and confirmed that she is battling bacterial meningitis.” For that reason, Sweetpea will remain in the ICU longer than veterinarians had expected.
Detty is hopeful that Sweetpea will overcome this last hurdle and that soon “she will begin to heal and reclaim her joyful puppy spirit."
