New details about Lee County man arrested for animal abuse

Reporter: Olivia Jean
Published: Updated:

A newly updated Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrest report details a troubling past for a new animal abuse arrest of a Lee County resident.

Erick De Jesus Canoura was arrested for animal abuse.

Before living in Lee County, Canoura lived in Miami-Dade County. According to the LCSO report, in 2021, Canoura was arrested in Miami-Dade County after 31 dogs were found in deplorable condition in his possession.     

Canoura is now banned from owning animals in Miami-Dade County, which raises another question: Why was he allowed to have dogs in Lee County? Florida has no state-wide animal abuse registry.

In Lee County, five dogs were found near his home in Lehigh Acres.

Three were found near a stolen front loader and submerged in 3-5 inches of muddy water mixed with feces, making their coats filthy and heavily matted. Two other dogs were found behind the home.

According to the report, all five dogs were in horrible living conditions and showed signs of severe neglect and distress. The Lee County Domestic Animal Services took them in and medically checked them.

According to LCSO, all five dogs were in good condition on Tuesday. Two of the dogs have already been adopted, and the other three still sit at LCDAS.

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno gave WINK News a statement regarding the arrest.

“It disgusts me that people can mistreat such wonderful animals. These dogs are in good hands now that we have taken them from this monster. I will never tolerate animal abuse of any kind here in lee county.” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno 

According to documents obtained by WINK News, Canoura has had seven different animal cruelty violations in Lee County in the past two years. Unsanitary conditions and lack of proper ventilation for multiple breeds of dogs were cited as the reasons for the violations.

Canoura is no longer in custody. He was charged with a misdemeanor for animal cruelty due to the dog’s living conditions and access to food and water.

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