BUNNELL, Fla. — A Palm Coast woman is facing animal cruelty charges after police found two dogs dead inside a Bunnell storage unit, according to an arrest report.
Bunnell police responded to Moore Storage at 500 E. Court St. on Sunday after another tenant reported an unpleasant odor coming from a unit.
The responding officer reported noticing flies, ants and an odor associated with a dead animal outside the unit.
Police contacted the unit’s tenant, Alexia Veronica Barquet. She initially told the officer that an unplugged refrigerator containing dog food might be causing the smell, according to the report.
Police said Barquet later acknowledged that she kept two dogs inside the unit.
According to the report, Barquet told investigators she had previously found Ava, a 5-year-old Labrador retriever, dead inside the unit. She said she placed the dog in a black plastic bag but did not remove it.
Barquet said she last visited the unit Friday to provide food and water to Karma, a 2-year-old Labrador retriever.
When officers entered the unit Sunday, they found the floor covered in feces and trash, according to the report. Police said an air-conditioning unit was running but was not producing cold air. The heat index outside was 96 degrees.
Investigators found Karma dead near a door and reported that none of the dog dishes contained water.
The report also states that Flagler County Animal Control previously warned Barquet in March not to keep animals inside the storage unit overnight.
Barquet was arrested on two counts of aggravated animal cruelty and two counts related to confining animals without sufficient food, water, exercise or air.
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