Lehigh Acres man accepts plea deal, sentenced to 2.5 years in animal cruelty case

Tomas Rodriguez, Fort Myers News-Press
·1 min read
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A Lehigh Acres man accepted a plea deal after a social media message alerted authorities of a dead dog with his face in an empty food bowl at his home.

Anthony Knight, 32, accepted a plea deal Tuesday and was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison and 60 days in jail, with credit for 91 days served.

Samantha Syoen, spokesperson for the State Attorney's Office, said his sentence will run concurrent with Knight's sentences in separate 2021 cases charging him possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of a controlled substance.

In the animal cruelty case, the Lee County Sheriff's Office said that early Aug. 9, authorities received a notice on Facebook Messenger from a concerned citizen in reference to a possible deceased dog.

Prior coverage: Social media message alerts LCSO after man confirms dog dies in garage without water, air

Deputies reviewed the original post and said the context of the message was disturbing.

Detectives with the sheriff's office's Animal Cruelty Task Force and the East District Criminal Investigations Division to a residence on Meadow Road, in Lehigh Acres, and made contact with Knight, also known on Facebook as Antonio Rodriguez, authorities said.

When deputies confronted him with the information, Knight confirmed he posted the messages and showed detectives where he buried his dog, Kalea.

Authorities said Kalea was left in a cage within the garage with no ventilation or water, where she died with her face in an empty bowl.

After a search warrant was granted, Kalea's remains were collected and sent for a necropsy.

Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran, Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews and Twitter @TomasFRoBeltran.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Lehigh Acres man accepts plea deal in animal cruelty case