A St.John’s County man is behind bars after deputies say he attempted to sell puppies out of a purse, which ultimately led the puppies to be euthanized.
Deputies say Malachi Dentry, 20, was going into businesses to sell the puppies at Lewis Point Plaza. Once deputies found Dentry they noticed he was carrying a purse St.John’s Sheriff Office says Dentry was unhappy and reluctantly opened the purse after a deputy asked him to open it.
Inside the bag, deputies found two white and brown small puppies, approximately three-to-four weeks old, bunched together with no water or ventilation in the purse. There was an empty formula bottle inside the purse, that the puppies appeared to be licking.
Dentry’s wife told deputies that the puppies were given to them by someone in the parking lot of the Lewis Point Plaza, with instructions to sell them. They agreed to split the profits from the puppy sales.
Both Dentry and his wife are homeless and were in no condition to take care of the puppies according to the sheriff’s office and were taken to the St.Johns County Pet Center.
The puppies were severely dehydrated and had been diagnosed with the parvo-virus. Based on the poor treatment of the puppies and their condition, they had to be euthanized by animal control.
Dentry has been charged with two counts of animal cruelty and taken to St.John’s County Jail.
