Man Arrested on Warrant for Aggravated Animal Cruelty, Judge Sets Bond at $5,000

Thursday night, Freddie Kelly Jr., 57, was arrested on a warrant for aggravated animal cruelty. 

Judge Denise Ferrero set the bond at $5,000 when signing the warrant in line with the recommendation from the Eighth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office (SAO8). The case has been assigned to Assistant State Attorney Frank Slavichak. 

The bond amount was upheld by Judge Mitchell Bishop at first appearance. 

On June 25, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputy and an Alachua County Animal Resources officer responded to Kelly’s residence after getting reports of a dog in distress. 

The deputy reported, “I observed a Labrador retriever mix, black in color, intact male dog. The dog was tethered to a wire line with a heavy metal chain (later determined to be 10.6 lbs.) and collar. As I walked up to the area where the dog was tethered, there was a noticeable odor of decay.”

At the time, the deputy and animal officer were not able to identify the owner of the black lab. The dog lacked any palpable body fat and had what’s described as a “large gaping wound on the right side of the neck.” The dog was seized for medical treatment.

A veterinarian described the dog’s injuries as "a large ruptured mass with foul odor, maggots present in the tissue on the right side of the neck. The mass was the size of a softball, and was surgically removed. The dog had a body weight of 50.60 pounds, tested positive for internal parasites, and heart worms. The dog had a severe infestation of fleas covering the entire body."

The deputy reported, “Researching ACAR's reporting system, Petpoint, there was an incident on [April 16, 2021] where Kelly was issued a written warning under county ordinance 72.10 (Failure to treat animal humanely). The warning was for tethering a dog (black mix breed male) to a heavy chain.”

The deputy later made contact with Kelly to ask him to surrender the dog. Kelly said he had the dog since puppyhood and that he was providing food. Kelly agreed to sign a surrender form giving custody of the dog to the county. 

Kelly was read his Miranda-rights and acknowledged the dog was on a tethered heavy chain and that he tried to treat the neck wound himself with hydrogen peroxide. 

The deputy reported that the dog, named Big Boy, was in declining health and was humanely euthanized on July 1, 2026. 

If released, Kelly will not be allowed to have contact with animals.