TAMPA, Fla. (NewsNation Now) — A man was arrested in St. Petersburg, Florida this week on suspicion of stealing and killing a horse that was found butchered last year in Palmetto, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said the horse was found dead in a field after it was stolen from a stable on Dec. 1, 2019, and that it had been slaughtered for its meat.
Authorities said they obtained surveillance video placing the suspect, Eladio Garcia-Gasca, at the scene of the crime. The video allegedly shows him walking up to the stables shortly before the animal was stolen.
Garcia-Gasca, 40, was arrested at his home and booked into the Pinellas County Jail. He is charged with grand theft and animal cruelty.
NewsNation affiliate WFLA contributed to this report.