VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Volusia County deputies arrested a woman after they said she abandoned her pets when she evacuated for Hurricane Milton in 2024.
Deputies arrested 25-year-old Calsie Volkers on April 26 and she’s now facing multiple animal cruelty charges.
[Watch video of Calsie Volkers’ arrest]
According to the incident report, VCSO deputies said Volusia County Animal Services got a call on Oct. 15 about a dead dog and several other dogs that were abandoned inside the home without food or water.
The report said when officers arrived, they noticed three dogs inside a chain link fence with no food present and the only water source was a large plastic cooler with greenish water. They also said four cats were running in and out of the house.
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The report said a roommate told deputies that Volkers, her boyfriend and two kids left to go to Indiana on Oct. 8 to wait for Milton to pass.
Deputies said the roommate told them they weren’t entirely sure whether or not Volkers was evacuating and said they weren’t aware of any arrangements to care for her animals.
On Oct. 10, deputies said the roommate found two dogs in a bedroom and then said he brought them to the barn where he began to regularly give them food and water.
Three days later on Oct. 13, deputies said the roommates began to notice a bad smell. They said they went to check it out and said they found three dogs eating a dead dog in another bedroom.
The roommate told deputies they moved the three dogs outside to the pen where they were located when deputies arrived on scene.
Deputies said the roommates told them they tried to get a hold of Volkers and said the roommate’s ex-girlfriend sent Volkers a Snapchat video of the situation, but they never heard back.
After finding the additional three dogs, the roommate told deputies that his other roommate’s mom and ex-girlfriend began caring for all five dogs.
Deputies said they also found a gray, long-haired cat with an unkempt coat and eye discharge. In the room with the cat, deputies said they saw a litter box filled with feces and urine next to two empty water and food bowls. They also said they noticed a small pile of dry cat food full of ants in the walkway of the room.
Deputies also found another dog inside a bathroom and said that inside the bathroom there were dried feces, a single empty blue bowl and the toilet bowl was completely empty.
Deputies said in total they took five cats, six live dogs and a turtle from the home.
All of the animals and evidence were taken back to Volusia County Animal Services where they received a forensic veterinary exam and emergency care.
According to the vet’s report, both the dogs and indoor cat were infested with fleas, five of the dogs had hookworm, and the cat had conjunctivitis.
Deputies said according to the vet’s report, ‘based on the condition of the six dogs and one indoor cat taken from the property, the animals were subject to chronic neglect over the preceding weeks to months resulting in the excessive infliction of unnecessary suffering.’
Volkers arrest comes as two laws to crack down on animal cruelty are making their way through the state Legislature. SB 494, also known as ‘Dexter’s Law’ , would create a database on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s website with names of people who have been convicted, plead guilty or no contest to animal cruelty charges.
The second law, SB 150, is known as “Trooper’s Law.” Trooper was rescued by a state trooper after the found him tied to a fence on the side of the road prior to Hurricane Milton.
Under Trooper’s Law if a pet owner abandons an animal to suffer injury or malnutrition or abandons the animal in a street, road or public place without providing for the care, shelter, sustenance and protection of the animal could be charged with a first degree misdemeanor, or pay a fine no more than $5,000 or both.
Also, under the law if a someone restrains a dog outside during a natural disaster and then abandons the dog could face a third-degree felony, or pay a fine of up to $10,000 or both.
Volkers is currently being held in the Volusia County Jail on a $100,000 bond and is expected to be back in court on May 15.