5 Horses Owned By Pasco Detention Deputy Found Starving, Sick

RUSKIN, FL — Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies say they've arrested a Pasco County Sheriff's detention deputy after discovering five starving and sick horses on her property in Ruskin.

Raven Krystle Devoss, 27, was arrested Thursday after deputies responded to a complaint of animal neglect in the 4,000 block of 27th Street Southeast in Ruskin.

Deputies found five adult horses confined to a small area on the property with no food, water or shelter. All five showed signs of severe malnutrition and several had open sores due to a lack of care.

Deputies said the horse enclosure was filled with trash and debris including barbed wire that posed a hazard to the horses.

The horses were taken into custody and are now in a veterinarian's care.

Devoss was charged with five counts of unlawful confinement or abandonment of an animal and five counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty.

Upon learning of Devoss' arrest, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office dismissed Devoss who was still in the probationary period of her employment as a detention deputy. She was hired July 30, 2018, and had no professional standards infractions during her time at the sheriff's office.