BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Brevard County deputies say they’ve arrested a second person in connection to a years-long animal abuse investigation into an illegal puppy mill operation.
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Last week, Sheriff Wayne Ivey announced the arrest of 36-year-old Elisabeth Cleveland on dozens of animal cruelty charges after years of complaints from the community.
At that time, Ivey said there would likely be additional charges for Cleveland and her husband, 44-year-old Richard Cleveland, who had previously described himself to investigators as an employee of the operation.
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On Monday, deputies announced the arrest of Richard Cleveland and additional charges for Elisabeth.
Both Elisabeth and Richard Cleveland now face a total of 97 felony aggravated animal cruelty charges and 38 misdemeanors for unlawful confinement of animals without adequate food, water, or exercise.
Deputies say complaints about the Clevelands and their dogs’ living conditions date back to January of 2016.
Since then, Ivey says the sheriff’s office has received approximately 20 complaints of alleged animal neglect and abuse at three different properties associated with the couple: two neighboring homes on Crisafulli Road in Merritt Island and a commercial property on Mustang Lane in Cocoa.
Ivey says each time deputies were called to check on the animals at either location, Elisabeth or her husband would refuse to cooperate and tell them to return with a warrant.
It wasn’t until June 27th of this year that a judge finally signed an inspection warrant for the Mustang Lane property, allowing deputies to examine the conditions inside.
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Deputies say the dogs found at the Mustang Lane location had no cover from the heat and no water, and many had open wounds and eye infections.
The conditions at Musatng Lane immediately led to the initial charges against Elisabeth Cleveland and enabled investigators to secure search warrants for the other two properties associated with the couple.
Deputies say they found dogs living in the worst possible conditions at the Crisafulli Road properties and evidence that Elisabeth Cleveland was practicing veterinary care without a license to do so there. Ivey says there’s also evidence Cleveland may have even euthanized a dog herself at the home.
According to Sheriff Ivey, it appears as though Cleveland was breeding the dogs at the Mustang Lane location then moving them to Crissafulli once they were ready to be delivered.
Elisabeth Cleveland remains in the Brevard County jail on a total of $260,000 bond. Richard Cleveland is being held on a total of $261,500 bond.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies have taken custody of 59 dogs and three cats so far.
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“This is just another layer of this case,” Ivey said after Richard Cleveland’s arrest. “We’re going to continue to work it.”
Ivey says the couple also ran a website through which they sold dogs across state lines. The investigation is ongoing.
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