Pet store operator suspected of animal cruelty
Plant City, FL (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Sep 20, 2007
County: Hillsborough
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Dismissed
Persons of Interest:
» Gary Mark Hicks
» Heather Ashley Morrison
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A pet store owner with a history of sex offenses was reportedly arrested on felony animal cruelty charges after the owner of a Shih Tzu complained that the dog returned from a grooming appointment with razor cuts to its face and genitals.
Authorities had also recently gotten a complaint from the owner of a Lhasa apso who suspected that her dog had been choked when it was left at the pet store to be groomed. After the dog's owner got her pet back, its eyes were severely bloodshot, said Hillsborough County Animal Services spokeswoman Marti Ryan.
Gary Mark Hicks, 36, who owns Pet City at 1103 N Wheeler Road, was charged with two counts of animal cruelty and one count of improper confinement of an animal. When animal control officers went to Hicks' house in Dover, they found a severely underweight boxer dog that was being kept without food or water, Ryan said.
"He's all skin and bones," Ryan said.
Hicks registered with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as a sexual predator after a September 1999 conviction for sexual battery on a victim under 12. He also was convicted of other sex crimes. He was sentenced to 10 years of probation.
He was charged with violating his probation in 2004 when he owned another store called It's Alive Pets on State Road 60 in Brandon. Hicks, then 33, was arrested after complaints that he offered an 18-year-old employee alcohol on two occasions and made suggestive remarks.
Thursday's arrest came after animal control officers investigated the Shih Tzu owner's complaint. After retrieving the Shih Tzu from a grooming appointment at Pet City, its owner took the dog to a veterinarian and then called authorities, Ryan said. Hicks was charged with animal cruelty in the cases of the Shih Tzu and the boxer that was found in his house.
In the case involving the boxer, Hicks' live-in girlfriend and employee, Heather Ashley Morrison, 19, also was charged with animal cruelty and improper confinement of an animal.
In the case regarding the Lhasa apso that apparently had been choked, authorities had earlier filed a civil citation against Hicks because they didn't have enough evidence to file a criminal charge, Ryan said.
"In pictures of the dog, its eyes were so bloodshot it looked like they'd been colored in red with Magic Marker," she said.
Case Updates1994 - Gary Hicks' first offense, attempted sexual battery of a 5-year-old boy.
1998 - Investigation leads to the 1994 victim as well as another boy molested between the ages of 14 and 17. Charges are filed, then dropped in regard to an underage girl he later married.
1999 - Hicks pleads guilty to attempted capital sexual battery of the 5-year-old and two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior with the teenage boy. He's sentenced to two years' community control and eight years' probation.
June 2000 - U.S. Department of Agriculture cites Hicks for operating a Brandon pet store, It's Alive, without a license. He agreed to a civil penalty of $8,500 which was suspended providing there were no future violations. The store has since closed.
April 2003 - Hicks enters and completes sex offender treatment program.
January 2004 - Hicks is charged with violating his probation on the 1999 charges by selling turtles and fish at the Westfield Brandon mall from a kiosk near stores frequented by children.
March 2004 - He begins serving a 12 1/2 -year prison sentence for violating his probation on the 1999 charges.
December 2004 - The 2nd District Court of Appeals overturns the sentence, saying his probation violation did not appear to be willful.
February 2005 - Hicks is released from Calhoun Correctional Institution. He is required to register as a sexual predator.
March 2005 - Hicks opens the Plant City pet store. Police advise residents in the neighborhood Hicks is a registered sexual predator. Community activists picket the store. State Rep. Rich Glorioso sponsors legislation that prohibits child molesters from working or volunteering where children regularly congregate.
January 2006 - The new law takes effect, but is not retroactive to apply to Hicks.
January 2007 - Hicks' probation is terminated three years early over the state's objection.
June - Linda Penny files a lawsuit seeking payment for vet bills and other expenses incurred after her dog was injured while being groomed at Hicks' store.
August - Hillsborough County Animal Services issues Hicks a civil citation for animal cruelty in connection with the choking of another dog that was brought in for grooming.
September - Hicks is charged with criminal animal cruelty related to injuries sustained by Penny's dog and the condition of an emaciated boxer kept at his home. Residents begin picketing the pet shop again.
October - Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials issue a warning to Hicks regarding a sick iguana and insufficient perch space for birds at the pet shop.
November - Hicks sues Penny, claiming defamation.
December - The state declines to prosecute Hicks on the September animal cruelty charges.
Dec. 31 - Hicks is evicted from Pet City Center, 1103 N. Wheeler St.
January - He begins renovating a property at 1111 N. Wheeler, which he has leased with an option to buy. He says he plans to open a drive-through pet grooming shop.
Jan. 9 - County Judge Nick Nazaretian dismisses the charges of animal cruelty in connection with the choking of the Shih Tzu, Cooper, saying there was no way to determine who had caused the dog's injuries.
No charges are pending against Hicks. Under Florida law, Hicks is required to register as a sexual predator for the rest of his life. | Source: TBO News - January 27, 2008
Update posted on Feb 3, 2008 - 11:27AM |
References« FL State Animal Cruelty Map
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