RUSKIN, Fla. — A former Pasco County Detention Deputy was arrested by Hillsborough County Agricultural deputies Thursday, charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty and unlawful confinement and abandonment of animals.
- Raven Devoss, 27, dismissed from Pasco Co. Sheriff's Office today
- Deputies found 5 malnourished horses confined with no food or water on property
- Horses were surrounded by clutter, loose barbed wire
- More Hillsborough County stories
Deputies responded Thursday to the property located in the 4000 block of 27th Street Southeast in Ruskin to check out a complaint of animal neglect.
Once on scene, deputies found five fully grown horses confined to a small part of the property. All five appeared to be in very poor health due to malnutrition.
In addition, deputies observed several open sores on the horses, which they attributed to poor care by the owner. The area where the horses were confined had no access to food, water, or shelter as well.
Finally, deputies found trash and debris in the horses' confined space, including loose barbed wire and other materials, that posed additional hazards to the animals' health.
After further investigation and a veterinarian examining the horses, deputies arrested the horses' owner, Raven Devoss, 27. She was charged with five counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty, five counts of unlawful confinement or abandonment of an animal.
Until Thursday, Devoss had been a detention deputy with the Pasco County Sheriff's Office. She was hired on July 30, 2018, and was still in her probationary period.
Pasco Sheriff's Office officials said Devoss was fired Thursday for failure to meet the conditions of her probation.
The animal cruelty investigation is ongoing.
Two of the malnourished horses found confined with no food, water, or shelter on a property in Ruskin by Hillsborough deputies on Thursday, July 25, 2019. (Courtesy of Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)