LAKE WALES, Fla. – A grim scene unfolded on Poe Road this past Sunday, June 1, 2025, as the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Animal Cruelty Investigations Unit descended upon a property, arresting a Lake Wales man for felony animal cruelty and seizing a multitude of neglected horses and goats.
The intervention, spurred by a concerned tipster, revealed a shocking landscape of animal suffering and environmental hazards.
The investigation began with a report of two severely malnourished horses. Deputies arriving on the scene were met with a heartbreaking sight: one horse emaciated, its bones protruding, and another found barely clinging to life, sprawled in its own waste and unable to lift its head.
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Tragically, this second horse succumbed to its severe neglect before detectives could even arrive.
Detectives quickly discovered that the animal cruelty was just one layer of the disturbing conditions on the property.
Numerous environmental hazards were present at the property, where adults and children lived in various makeshift structures.
Joemanuel Nunez-Suarez, 40, the homeowner, claimed ownership of most of the livestock, which included eight horses (including the deceased one), eleven goats, and two sheep.
He admitted to detectives that feeding the animals had become “too expensive” and that he had told a friend to retrieve them three months prior.
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The PCSO seized all surviving animals and are now on their road to rehabilitation.
Beyond the animal neglect, the property was a wasteland of solid waste, deputies say. Piles of rotting household trash, scrap metal, waste wood, 23 tires, hundreds of flies, and broken appliances were scattered throughout.
Even more alarming, detectives discovered a trough filled with a dangerous mixture of antifreeze and gasoline, leaking directly into the animals’ water supply.
The ongoing investigation has led to multiple arrests. Joemanuel Nunez-Suarez faces serious charges, including felony animal cruelty (F3), animal cruelty (M1), and three counts of confining animals without proper food, care, and sustenance (M1).
Environmental charges were filed against Jorge Almeida Rodriguez and Idanys Queveto. Barbara Suarez and Hennycha Rosa Rosa were charged with resisting arrest, with Barbara Suarez facing an additional animal neglect charge as she owned one of the neglected horses, “Thunder” – a two-year-old stallion found confined in a dark barn stall, never turned out to pasture.
“We appreciate the tipster who alerted us to the deplorable conditions on this property,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. “It’s a shame we were unable to save one of the abused horses, but we will make it our mission to rehabilitate all of the animals that were subjected to this filth and neglect, and ensure these suspects are never again allowed to own animals.”
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