A 42-year-old Hialeah woman was arrested after police said surveillance video captured her repeatedly striking and forcefully handling a small foster dog she had been caring for at Metro Parc Apartments. Miriam Yilian Delarosa now faces three felony animal cruelty charges following an investigation that detectives say involved three separate incidents caught on camera at the same building.
The case began after a tenant reported finding feces on a wall near an elevator at the complex, located at 952 E. 26th St., according to WSVN. A front desk employee reviewed surveillance footage to figure out what happened and identified Delarosa in the video, the station reported. Investigators traced the footage back to three incidents involving the same dog.
Video from Sept. 16 first showed Delarosa outside the building with three dogs, per the same report. At some point, one of the dogs slipped out of its collar and ran off, and police said Delarosa caught the animal and forcefully handled it, at one point holding it upside down by its legs.
Elevator Footage Shows Second Alleged Incident Same Night
Surveillance video also showed Delarosa entering the building's lobby while holding the dog by its neck and collar area, the station reported. Investigators said that during this encounter, she struck the dog in the face approximately eight times. A separate incident was captured later that same night inside an elevator, after the dog began to urinate and defecate — and police said Delarosa held the dog by one of its front legs and struck it in the face approximately 10 times, though the station's report does not reconcile the differing strike counts given by investigators and police.
NBC Miami, which identified the woman as Miriam Yilian De La Rosa in its own report, said police-released footage showed her outside the building with three small dogs, including two in a stroller and one on a leash. That station also reported that a second video appeared to show her slapping one of the dogs in the head multiple times inside an elevator, as NBC Miami detailed in its coverage.
Dog Had Prior History of Abuse, Detectives Learned
Delarosa told detectives she had been fostering the dog for about two months, and investigators learned the dog had previously been abused before coming into her care, the station's report notes. Miami-Dade Animal Services took custody of all three dogs for their safety and for medical evaluation.
A judge found probable cause in the case and set Delarosa's bond at $7,500. NBC Miami reported that the judge granted her pretrial services with an alternate bond in that same amount. Delarosa is charged with three counts of felony animal cruelty with intent to injure or kill, according to the Hialeah police arrest report cited by the station's report.
New State Felony Law Took Effect the Same Week
The arrest comes the same week that a new Florida law expanding animal cruelty penalties took effect statewide. House Bill 559, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed at Big Dog Ranch Rescue in May, took effect Oct. 1 and creates new third-degree felony offenses covering aggravated animal cruelty, animal fighting and sexual abuse involving animals, according to CBS12. Under Florida Statute 828.12, intentionally causing an animal's cruel death or excessive, repeated unnecessary pain or suffering is classified as aggravated animal cruelty, a third-degree felony, and the law allows a separate charge for each act of cruelty or for cruelty involving multiple animals, according to the Florida Legislature.
A conviction for aggravated animal cruelty can carry a fine of up to $10,000, and the statute allows a court to bar a convicted person from owning, possessing, keeping, harboring or controlling an animal. The new law also gives the Florida Department of Law Enforcement until Jan. 1, 2027, to post additional information on the state's public animal-abuse database for people convicted of or pleading guilty or no contest to a qualifying offense, including dates of birth, charges, case outcomes, identifying marks and booking photos. An arrest or pending charge alone does not qualify someone for that database — a qualifying conviction or plea would be required, per CBS12's report.
