Staff report

ALACHUA, Fla. – Raymond Leon Merricks, Jr., 44, has been charged with starving and abusing dogs, leading to the death of one dog.

On December 12, Alachua Police Department (APD) officers assisted Alachua County Animal Services (ACAS) officers with a call about a stray male pit bull that had attacked and killed a neighbor’s chickens in the 15300 block of NW 134th Terrace.

ACAS captured the dog and reported that its body score was 3 on a scale of 1 to 9, meaning that its ribs, vertebrae, and pelvic bones were visible.

APD officers went to the owner’s home and reported that there was a second male pit bull on a chain in the front yard. The dog had a small piece of carpet on the ground, but the area around the dog was reportedly covered in feces, and the dog had fleas and hair loss.

Officers walked around the rear of the house and saw two makeshift kennels containing a very thin female pit bull with a body score of 2 and a dead male pit bull. The dead dog was extremely thin and was tied up inside the makeshift kennel; the makeshift kennel was reportedly littered with trash and feces, and there was mold on the feces. The water bucket had been knocked over and was empty.

Officers reported that all the dogs were covered in feces and infested with fleas. There was no food in any of the dog bowls, but officers found a large unopened bag of dog food in the garage.

ACAS officers spoke to Merricks by phone, and he reportedly admitted the dogs belonged to him. After several attempts to make contact with him in person, officers filed a sworn complaint, a warrant was issued for his arrest, and he was arrested on January 18.

Merricks has been charged with two counts of felony animal cruelty and two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. Merricks has eight felony convictions (none violent) and six misdemeanor convictions (one violent). He served one state prison sentence and was released in 2015. Judge Thomas Jaworski set bail at $396, with the condition that Merricks not possess or care for any animals.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.