Florida man arrested after dog found abandoned in flood during Hurricane Milton

A man has been nicked for animal cruelty after near a major road as locals evacuated Florida's Gulf Coast last week, just before Hurricane Milton hit.

The 23-year-old man from Ruskin, Florida, was arrested on Monday, facing a charge of felony aggravated animal cruelty.

The pooch, affectionately named Trooper by the Florida Highway Patrol, was along Interstate 75 in the Tampa area as residents fled hours before the Category 3 hurricane struck.

Troopers whisked him off to a vet, where he was checked over for injuries and given a clean bill of health. "We take this crime very seriously and this defendant will face the consequences of his actions," stated state attorney Suzy Lopez, who oversees the Tampa area.

A trooper who based on a description from a passing motorist described him as "in severe distress and trembling", according to a redacted criminal report seen by the Associated Press.

"Traffic was heavy as many people were evacuating," the trooper noted in the arrest report. "Due to the circumstances, and the extreme danger and risk of death caused by the defendant to the dog, the defendant's actions caused excessive unnecessary infliction of pain and suffering to the dog."

Detectives managed to locate the owner when he turned up at a Tampa area animal shelter in search of his pooch, which had been transferred to a shelter in Tallahassee before being taken in by a foster family.

The owner consented to relinquish his dog to the foster family on the condition "they would take good care and love the dog", according to the arrest report.

In a conversation with the trooper, the owner relinquished his right to silence and provided a statement that was redacted from the report.