Leslie Ann Torres, 34, was booked September 16 on seven felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty and four misdemeanor counts of animal abandonment, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavit, as reported by BocaNewsNow.com. The Palm Beach County jail listing showed a $5,000 bond for each count, and the report said Torres was released after posting $39,000. The charges are allegations, not findings of guilt.
The case began August 22, when deputies went to Torres’s mobile home on West Mayaguana Lane to serve an unrelated juvenile warrant. After encountering approximately a dozen dogs, they requested assistance from Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control, according to the affidavit account published by BocaNewsNow.com.
Conditions described in the records
The affidavit account said investigators found dogs confined in wire cages inside the home, without accessible food or water bowls. It also described blankets and clothing soiled with urine and feces and significant waste in a larger cage. Animal control removed 11 dogs from the property; several were described as nearly emaciated, according to the affidavit summary reported by BocaNewsNow.com.
Before the dogs were cleaned or groomed, a veterinarian examined them. The affidavit, as described by BocaNewsNow.com, listed findings including feces in matted fur, alleged urine-related skin injuries, flea infestations, anemia, internal parasites, dehydration and malnutrition.
County animal-control snapshot
The case occurred during a month in which Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control recorded 328 live dog intakes, including 12 confiscated dogs. In its August 2026 statistics, the agency also reported 102 dog adoptions, 104 transfers to another shelter or rescue and 33 dog euthanasias, according to Palm Beach County’s Division of Animal Care and Control.
Interview and animal custody
During a recorded September 9 interview, investigators said Torres waived her Miranda rights and acknowledged that several dogs were kept in the cages during the workday and overnight. Investigators also said conditions had changed when animal-control officers returned August 22, including altered feces and garbage and wet areas on the floor. They cited those observations in concluding that Torres knew about the conditions, according to the affidavit account published by BocaNewsNow.com.
Torres later signed a form surrendering all 11 dogs to Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control. The allegations have not been adjudicated, and a court will determine whether the charges are proven.
Charges under Florida law
Florida classifies aggravated animal cruelty as a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The statute describes conduct involving an intentional act or failure to act that causes excessive or repeated unnecessary pain or suffering, according to the Florida Legislature. Florida’s animal-confinement statute makes failing to provide sufficient food or water, or keeping animals without adequate exercise and air, a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000, according to Florida’s statutory text reproduced by FindLaw.
