Sick animals at illegal slaughterhouse
Bradenton, FL (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Jun 30, 1999
County: Manatee
Disposition: Not Charged
Person of Interest: Felipe Munoz
In 1999, sheriff's officials dismantled what they called an illegal slaughterhouse on Munoz's property in east Bradenton.
Deputies took about 75 goats, 50 rabbits and a sheep from the three-acre lot in the 4000 block of 34th Avenue East. The animals were diseased and starving, authorities said.
Munoz, who was not arrested then, told deputies that he bought the animals at livestock shows. A sheriff's official said the property was littered with the carcasses of dead animals, and there was no fresh food or water available.
Munoz told the Herald-Tribune in interviews then that he didn't mistreat the animals. He said he fed them regularly. Area residents bought goat meat and other items from Munoz.
Later that year, a judge in Manatee County released to Munoz the animals authorities had seized. The judge said that while Munoz was not providing "reasonable care," there was no evidence of intentional neglect. References« FL State Animal Cruelty Map
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