A 48-year-old Pine Manor man is facing a felony animal cruelty charge after Lee County deputies say he killed two kittens and injured a third as a form of punishment against his 14-year-old daughter. David Charette Jr. was arrested this week, accused of using the family's pets as weapons of psychological control against the teen.
According to WKRC, Charette is accused of killing two kittens and injuring another, all allegedly used as leverage against his daughter. Investigators say deputies arrived while Charette was reportedly attempting to drown and strike a surviving kitten, later named Luna, who was rescued and taken to a local animal hospital for treatment and recovery.
Detectives also allege the abuse extended well beyond the incident that triggered the arrest. Charette is accused of smothering a one-month-old kitten with a bleach-soaked rag in June and killing a three-month-old kitten with a blow dryer over the past year, then burying the animals in his backyard, according to The News-Press. Detectives recovered the remains of one kitten from the property during their search, the paper reported.
Charge Carries Up to Five Years Behind Bars
Charette faces one count of aggravated animal cruelty. Under Florida Statute § 828.12(2), aggravated animal cruelty is classified as a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in state prison and a maximum fine of $10,000 per count, according to the Florida Senate's statutory text. The law distinguishes felony aggravated cruelty from misdemeanor cruelty based on whether the death or suffering was intentional and excessive.
If convicted, state law also carries mandatory consequences beyond prison time. Florida Statute § 828.12(2)(a) requires anyone convicted of intentional animal torture or torment to pay a mandatory minimum fine of $2,500 and complete psychological counseling or an anger management program, the statute states.
Lee County's Task Force and Abuser Registry
The case falls under the jurisdiction of a specialized unit created for exactly this kind of investigation. In April 2020, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno established a dedicated Animal Cruelty Task Force trained to investigate misdemeanor and felony animal abuse across the county, according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office, after officials found high rates of correlation between animal cruelty and interpersonal crime.
Should Charette be convicted, he could also face local registration requirements. Lee County commissioners enacted Ordinance No. 23-30 in December 2023, creating a countywide Animal Abuser Registry that forces convicted animal abusers to register within 10 days of release and bans them from owning or residing with companion animals, with bans ranging from three to 10 years depending on prior convictions. Separately, effective January 1, 2026, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement began maintaining a public online registry listing individuals convicted of felony animal cruelty offenses statewide, a measure intended to expand transparency and aid adoption vetting, per the Brancato Law Firm.
A Pattern Researchers Say Extends to Family Violence
Cases in which animal abuse is allegedly used to intimidate or control a family member are not isolated incidents in the eyes of researchers who study family violence. Research compiled by the Humane Society of the United States shows that pet abuse occurred in 88% of families under investigation for physical child abuse, and 71% of domestic violence victims reported their abuser targeted household pets. The FBI now tracks animal cruelty in its national crime database as a potential predictor of interpersonal violence.
It remains unknown whether the Florida Department of Children and Families or another child welfare agency has intervened on behalf of Charette's daughter, and whether additional charges tied to child endangerment or domestic violence will be filed alongside the felony animal cruelty count. Those questions have not yet been addressed publicly by investigators.
The case adds to a string of severe animal cruelty prosecutions in Lee County. In May, a Lee County court convicted a Bonita Springs man on multiple counts of aggravated animal cruelty and aggravated stalking in a separate cat abuse case, sentencing him to consecutive five-year terms on four felony counts for a maximum 20-year prison sentence. Hoodline has also previously reported on a Lee County dog dumped in trash case, as well as a Florida man accused of waterboarding his girlfriend's dog amid a domestic violence allegation.
Pine Manor, the unincorporated Lee County community near Fort Myers where the arrest took place, is a dense residential pocket of roughly 3,900 residents with a median household income around $31,800 and a rental rate above 70%, according to NeighborhoodScout. Charette's case remains under investigation, and it is not yet known when he is due in court.
