PRESS RELEASE
State Attorney’s Office 12th Judicial Circuit
State Attorney Ed Brodsky announced today that Zachary Saunder Baumer was convicted after jury trial of Cruelty to Animals and Confinement of Animals without Sufficient Food Water or Exercise. The crimes were committed over the span of many months and were investigated by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. The trial was held at the Sarasota County Courthouse on 7/30/2025.
The crimes carry a maximum possible sentence of one year in the county jail. The Honorable Maryann Olson Uzabel was the presiding judge in the case. She sentenced the Defendant to the maximum one year of county jail, followed by one year of probation to include no ownership care, or control of animals as a condition of probation.
The Defendant in this case kept his dog named Chevy locked in a hot and dark garage, where he slept on a pile of garbage. There was additional hot air being pumped into the garage from an air conditioning unit and a refrigerator stocked with food. Chevy was not given food and was emaciated. His body had sores because he could not walk and was forced to lie on the hard surface of the trash in the garage. Chevy was also had cancer and was never taken to a vet. He was covered in fleas. A concerned citizen rescued Chevy from his owner, and the night he was rescued, he passed away.
Assistant State Attorneys Kyle Meyer and Nicole Jones prosecuted the case and attribute the guilty verdict to Deputy George Yock, ASO Madilynn Scott, Dr. Elizabeth Brown D.V.M., and the civilian witnesses who testified about the crimes that occurred.
Assistant State Attorney Kyle Meyer commented, “While this conviction and sentence cannot give Chevy his life back, it does bring justice for the horrific treatment he endured while in the care of the Defendant. Chevy was an innocent animal that did nothing to deserve the cruelty and neglect inflicted on him by the Defendant. Unlike a human, Chevy could not cry out for help. No animal should ever have to suffer what Chevy went through. The Defendant must now face the consequences of his actions.
If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact Assistant State Attorney Kyle Meyer in the Sarasota County office at 941-861-4400.