Eight animals were removed from a Sarasota property, now a man is facing cruelty charges

A Sarasota man is facing animal cruelty charges after he neglected to care for eight animals on his property, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

Ramon Gonzalez, 53, was arrested Thursday and charged with felony and misdemeanor counts of animal and failure to provide sustenance, according to the sheriff’s office.

On June 16, agricultural unit deputies were made aware of two cows in the 300 block of Sinclair Drive that appeared to be starving. Deputies found the animals on the backside of a nearby property without any vegetation, according to the sheriff’s office.

In total, four cows, two horses, a miniature horse and donkey were on the property, all of which appeared to be underweight, according to the sheriff’s office. All eight animals were confiscated on June 17 and have since been transferred for rehabilitation.

Gonzalez was released Thursday on a $2,000 bond.

This story was originally published July 10, 2017 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Eight animals were removed from a Sarasota property, now a man is facing cruelty charges."