Cape Coral police: Man kept 3 dogs in hot truck-bed kennel with no water

A man from Texas was arrested Tuesday night after Cape Coral police say he was pulled over and found with three dogs in miserably hot conditions in a truck-bed kennel.

According to the Cape Coral Police Department, Anthony Alexio Tatum, 34, of Lewisville, Texas, was pulled over at around 8:30 p.m. for several traffic infractions at the 1800 block of Veterans Memorial Parkway East. When officers contacted Tatum, he was immediately argumentative and refused to identify himself. He rolled up his window, leaving a small space open, and he continued to disregard orders.

Eventually, officers used a window-breaker so they could open the door and remove Tatum, who continued to resist efforts to handcuff him. Officers found that Tatum had three dogs in a covered kennel in the rear bed of his truck.

The makeshift kennels were surrounded by plywood and wrapped in a tarp. They had poor ventilation, and the temperature inside the kennels was uncomfortably hot; the dogs were panting from the heat and appeared visibly distressed. The dogs were covered in feces and had bloody mouths from attempting to escape these conditions. There was no food or water inside the kennels.

All three dogs were transferred into the care of Lee County Domestic Animal Services. Tatum was taken to the Lee County Jail. He faces charges of resisting without violence, failure to register a motor vehicle and aggravated animal cruelty.