Woman Left Dog in Foreclosed Home to Die, Deputies Say

A 35-year-old Tarpon Springs woman faces animal cruelty charges after Pasco County deputies say she left a dog inside her former Holiday home when she moved out.

The 1-year-old pit bull was left at 1344 Wickham Lane “without electricity, food and water,” an arrest reported stated.

According to the report, the woman’s family moved out of the home because it was in foreclosure. The woman told family members the dog had been brought to a no-kill shelter, the report said.

That, investigators found, was simply not the case.

The dog was left inside the old home to fend for itself, the report stated. The woman’s action “resulted in the cruel death, (and) excessive and repeated infliction of unnecessary pain and suffering,” the report concluded.

Tabitha Ann Spadola was charged Wednesday with a single count of animal cruelty.

Booking photo courtesy of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office

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