Brevard County, FL – A 68-year-old Florida man is accused of an especially heinous act of cruelty towards his two dogs, Darcy and Katie. According to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, Joseph Farkas intentionally starved his two dogs.
According to Sheriff Wayne Ivey, Farkas left an unopened bag of dog food in the view of his starving dogs to cause them further torment and suffering, actions Sheriff Ivey refers to as “despicable and horrific.”
Imagine seeing and smelling food while enduring the gnawing pain of hunger. Imagine being too weak to even attempt to get to the bag that is taunting you – close, but impossible to reach. According to the Sheriff, the dogs were skin and bones and too weak to walk or stand by the time their horrible situation was discovered.
The police were alerted to the appalling situation on Sept. 1 by a woman who had visited Farkas’ home and saw what was happening in person. She told the police that Farkas was “starving his two dogs to death.” The woman had offered to open the bag of food for the dogs and rather than accepting her help, he made her leave.
Deputies who performed the welfare check observed skeletal dogs who were so frail that they were essentially paralyzed. Katie was so weak that she was unable to move from the floor where she was surrounded by puddles of her own urine. Darcy was in worse condition; so starved that her organs were starting to shut down. Both dogs had overgrown nails and other signs of severe neglect including urine burns and plaque-covered teeth.
Farkas surrendered the dogs to the sheriff’s office on the day of the welfare check, even though he told investigators that his dogs did not need help.
Both dogs began immediately improving after they were removed from Farkas’ possession. Darcy has already been adopted and Katie will be after her health has been restored.
Joseph Farkas is facing two felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty and two counts of unlawful animal confinement. If you are sickened by the suffering he caused these helpless dogs, please add your name to the petition today!
We the undersigned demand that Joseph Farkas be held accountable for the intentional starvation of his two dogs, Katie and Darcy. We are petitioning for Farkas to face the maximum sentence for two felony counts of Aggravated Animal Cruelty and two counts of unlawful confinement, in addition to a lifelong ban from animal ownership. It is our firm belief that animal abusers must be held accountable for their actions.
Note: Individuals are presumed innocent until they have been found guilty in a court of law. Animal Victory relies upon the authorities and the court system to determine guilt or innocence.
Watch the Sheriff’s press conference on Facebook at this link.
News:
Update 7/1/2023: There is a notice for Farkas to appear in court on July 17th. AV’s petition is part of the official court documents
Amended notice of hearing (2) Court Minutes (1) Notice to appear
Update 6/22/2023: Animal Victory has learned that the plea hearing is set for June 27th at 9:00 am with Judge Tesha Scolaro Ballou at Titusville Historic Courthouse 506 Palm Ave. Titusville, FL 32796.
Update 4/3/2023: Animal Victory has learned that court has been rescheduled for May 26th at 9:00 a.m. with Judge Tesha Scolaro Ballou at Titusville Historic Courthouse 506 Palm Ave. Titusville, FL 32796
Update 2/8/2023: The court date is set for February 13, 2020. Animal Victory has sent the petition along with 19,692 signatures directly to Judge Tesha Scolaro Ballou and State Attorney Anthony Mechachonis.
Update 12/23/2022: The case is set for January 12, 2023.ARELLANO ViewImage
Update 11/16/2022: Arrest Affidavit_1 (1) Arrest Affidavit_1B Arrest Affidavit_2 The next court date is a status hearing on Dec. 20th at 1:30 pm. State Attorney Anthony Mechachonis is on the case.
Prior Signatures 21,854
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