Miriam Yilian De La Rosa, 42, faces three felony animal cruelty counts following a Hialeah police investigation into alleged abuse of a small dog at the Metro Parc apartment complex. She appeared in court October 2, and Miami Dade Animal Services took custody of all three dogs from the residence.
WSVN reports that a judge found probable cause and set bond at $7,500. A probable cause finding allows a case to proceed; it is not a finding of guilt. The allegations remain unproven.
Surveillance prompted the investigation
According to the arrest report account published by WSVN, a complaint about feces near an elevator led a front desk employee to review security footage. Police then investigated three alleged incidents involving the same dog.
The station dates the initial footage to September 16. Police allege De La Rosa caught the dog after it slipped its collar, handled it forcefully and held it upside down. They also allege she struck it repeatedly inside the building, including in an elevator.
What is known about the dogs
De La Rosa told investigators she had been fostering the dog for about two months, WSVN reports. Police said the three dogs were removed for safety and veterinary evaluation.
CBS Miami reports that Animal Services could not confirm which foster program, if any, was involved.
Reports differ on the arrest date: WSVN gives both Wednesday and October 1 in its account, while NBC6 reports a Friday jail booking. Those dates should not be treated as an established sequence. The Friday court appearance is consistently reported; a later release or final case outcome has not been verified for this article.
Sources
How we reported this: We compared local reporting of the police account and court appearance. We did not obtain the arrest affidavit independently. Conflicting arrest dates are disclosed, and we have not identified a foster organization.
