***WARNING: This story contains information some readers might find disturbing***
Santa Rosa County Crime Stoppers earlier this week issued a bulletin, stating Sara Ann Allstot, 30, was wanted for Animal Cruelty. Shortly thereafter she turned herself into Santa Rosa County Jail.
According to police reports, Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office on March 11 was dispatched to a home at 11411 Green Road in Baker. The complainant, Dana Fleming, reported she rents the home to Sara Allstot and they had been in contact about repairing the air conditioner.
Fleming told police she believed Allstot had not been at the residence in a few weeks. When she showed up she observed the AC had fallen into the residence. Fleming said she looked into the home and saw a “severely malnourished dog.” She reported the dog could barely bark and that she could see the outline of its skeleton.
At that time Fleming called out for Allstot; however, it appeared she was not home. Therefore, Fleming entered the residence, retrieved the dog and exited. She then phoned Allstot, who said she would come to the house.
The deputy in his report stated he could observe the outline of the dog’s skeleton and that its collar was “extremely loose from the weight loss.” The deputy went on to state that the dog was attempting to bark but “unable to actually bark.”
The police report goes on to state that the dog was clean because Fleming and others at the property had given it a bath due to its “smell and dirtiness.”
Allstot arrived on scene and agreed to speak to police after being read her Miranda warnings. According to the police report, she told police that her husband, Tommy Nichols, had given her the dog when she gained sobriety but that they began having relationship issues shortly thereafter and he moved out.
Per the report, she expressed that she did not like being alone in the house and had also relapsed on narcotics, so she began staying at another residence.
When asked about the last time someone was at the residence, she stated Nichols stopped by three weeks prior and that no one was looking after the animals nor was food left out. When asked about her plan for the dog, she told the deputy she was “scared to come back and find the dog dead.” She also said there was a cat inside the residence.
An animal control officer arrived on scene to conduct an investigation. Large amounts of animal waste and urine and chewed up trash were found about the house. “The smell of urine inside the residence was overbearing,” stated the report. Upstairs the remains of the cat, described as “just fur,” were discovered. “It appeared the dog had ate the remaining parts of the cat,” stated the report.
The deputy did not locate any food or water left out for the animals.
Per the report, Allstot agreed for Fleming to take possession of the dog.
Allstot, whose address is listed as 7200 Chumuckla Highway, was booked for one first-degree misdemeanor count of Conservation – Animals Torment/Deprive/Mutilate/Kill around 1 p.m. on March 20 and released around 3:25 p.m. on a $1,000 bond. She is scheduled for an 8 a.m. arraignment on Tuesday, April 4 before Hon. Circuit Court Judge Tony Giraud. Assistant State Attorney Olivia Ramsey will be prosecuting the case for the State of Florida.
