Floral City animal rescue owner arrested on 25 counts of animal cruelty
Citrus County, Florida - Officials with the Citrus Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) recently arrested 56 year-old Robert Allan Schweickert, Jr. on 25 counts of cruelty to animals, with his bond set at $12,500. Unspecified charges are pending, according to a CCSO press release.
Schweickert, the owner and operator of Out of the Box Animal Rescue, located at 7007 S. Florida Ave. in Floral City, FL, failed to correct prior citations issued to him regarding inadequate kennel sizes and inhumane housing of animals at the rescue.
"Under the guise of a rescue, these precious animals suffered in deplorable conditions because of one man's refusal to provide the basic, minimum requirements of care," said Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast. "Thank you to our resilient Animal Control Officers who work diligently to protect our animal friends, here in Citrus County. And thank you to those citizens who had the courage to speak up and get these animals the help they needed."
The CCSO received multiple complaints regarding the conditions at Out of the Box Animal Rescue. During our initial investigation into these complaints, Schweickert was cited for and found guilty of failing to meet Citrus County Code of Ordinances Chapter 14, Sec. 14-49 (a)(1), regarding the required kennel space of 80 sq. ft. per dog in November 2020. During this incident, CCSO Animal Control Officers (ACO) issued Schweickert a citation, giving him 10 days to bring his kennels in compliance with this ordinance.
On January 7, 2021, after Mr. Schweickert failed to comply, the honorable Judge Bruce Carney, with Florida's Fifth Judicial Circuit Court, ordered Schweickert to allow ACO Gallant to enter the rescue property on January 12, at 9:00 am, to inspect and document the kennel sizes and housing practices. When ACO Gallant arrival on scene for the court-ordered inspection, Schweickert failed to appear at the rescue for more than one hour, during which time ACO Gallant and assisting deputies gathered evidence showing several violations from the outside fenced area of the rescue.
Later in the day, Schweickert was observed by deputies outside the front gate of the rescue. ACO Gallant once again responded to the rescue and asked Schweickert if he would allow him to enter and inspect the property. Schweickert refused to allow ACO Gallant access to the rescue. With the evidence officials were able to collect and Schweickert's refusal to allow the court-ordered inspection, the State Attorney's Office issued a warrant for Schweickert's arrest under Florida Statute 828.13.
ACOs and CCSO deputies responded back to the animal rescue and found Mr. Schweickert and two volunteers. Schweickert was taken into custody on the warrant.
Officials entered the property and inspected the living conditions of the animals. They discovered numerous civil and criminal violations in regard to the housing and care of the animals.
The violations included the failure to meet county ordinance regarding kennel space of 80 sq. ft. per dog, several kennels left outside in the elements with no cover, other small kennels with corrugated roofs and tarps wrapped around the entire kennel - which drastically restricted the air flow to the animal, and kennels with wood or particleboard floors that were saturated with urine, and rotted with large gaping holes. Several dogs need medical care and were infested with fleas.
Some of the most disturbing conditions discovered included dogs locked inside bathrooms with no windows or lights, with urine covered floors. One dog was found living in an old walk-in freezer type unit that doubled as a storage room. The unit was similar to the box of a moving van - made of metal with no windows, no electricity, and no ventilation. The door to the unit was closed and locked with the animal inside it.
Due to deplorable conditions throughout the rescue, ACOs seized the animals from the rescue facility. A total of 43 dogs, 3 hens, and 1 pig were removed and transported to the Citrus County Animal Shelter.
Citrus County Fire Rescue's Hazmat Unit responded to the animal rescue to take air quality readings, which were not disclosed,ess release stated that the ammonia levels were so high that the firefighter who took the readings hade to don protective gear.
If you suspect animal cruelty, abuse or neglect, please speak up. The best thing you can do is report your suspicions of animal abuse/cruelty to The ccso's non-emergency line at (352) 249-2790. When reporting animal abuse/cruelty, please try to gather as much information as possible, including the names of the people involved, the exact address, and a description of the animal or animals. Remember that animals cannot speak up for themselves, so they need YOU to speak for them.