Former Florida deputy avoids jail time in Palmetto animal cruelty convictions
A former Florida deputy whose Palmetto pet-sitting business left a dog severely ill and sparked public outrage will avoid jail time, court records show.
A Manatee County judge sentenced 31-year-old Nicholas Anthony Zotto, a former Hardee County Sheriff’s Office deputy who ran the Palmetto business Pawsome Sitters, to probation in two animal cruelty cases tied to the business, according to court records.
Prosecutors said the cases involved allegations that Zotto neglected a dog during an extended boarding at his Palmetto home and separately struck another dog at the business.
Jurors previously convicted Zotto of aggravated animal cruelty in the felony case, while he later entered a no contest plea in a separate misdemeanor animal cruelty case, according to court records. Judge Edward Nicholas sentenced Zotto to five years of probation in the felony case and one year of probation in the misdemeanor case, with the terms set to run at the same time.
According to Florida law, Zotto faced a max sentence of up to five years in prison for the aggravated animal cruelty charge and one year in prison for the misdemeanor charge.
Former FL deputy sentenced in animal abuse case
The misdemeanor case centered on allegations that Zotto struck a dog named Grizzly at Pawsome Sitters, after a video circulated online that appeared to show the incident and fueled widespread backlash.
The footage led to an online petition calling for the business to be shut down and for Zotto to be prosecuted and also resulted in his firing from the Hardee County Sheriff’s Office, where he had worked since 2022.
As part of the sentence, the judge barred Zotto from owning, possessing or caring for any animal, ordered him to undergo a psychological evaluation and complete any recommended treatment, required him to attend an eight-week anger management course and imposed community service requirements in both cases.
An attorney representing Zotto did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
Manatee dog owner testifies in trial
The felony conviction stemmed from an 11-day boarding in November 2023, when prosecutors said Zotto accepted payment to care for two dogs at his Palmetto residence despite a county order to shut down the unlicensed business.
At the September trial, a neighbor testified she saw the dogs arrive healthy on Nov. 18, 2023, describing them as “happy, wagging themselves.” She also testified that Zotto often left the home early in the morning and returned late at night, suggesting the animals remained unsupervised for much of the day.
Valerie Pierce testified that her dog, Halo, a 20-pound Australian sheepdog mix, was returned to her weak, dehydrated and covered in sores.
“Halo was motionless. He looked so sad, like he was so hurt, he couldn’t move. He was still wet,” Pierce told jurors at the time. She described picking him up as “like picking up a rack of ribs. He felt boneless.”
Pierce later took Halo to a veterinarian, where records showed the dog suffered from severe dehydration, matted fur and pressure sores consistent with being left lying in one position for an extended time, prosecutors said.
Assistant State Attorney Justin Foster previously told jurors Halo’s condition showed prolonged neglect, describing injuries that suggested the dog collapsed and remained unable to stand long enough for skin to die and sores to form.
Defense attorney Jacob Grollman argued Halo suffered a sudden medical emergency rather than prolonged neglect, telling jurors the dog collapsed during a bath shortly before pickup and that Zotto immediately contacted Pierce and offered to take Halo to an emergency veterinarian.
Jurors, however, rejected that explanation and found Zotto guilty as charged after a two-day trial at the Manatee County Judicial Center.
Court records show Zotto has filed appeals in both cases, which now sit before Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal.
