On Tuesday, April 12 at approximately 12:00 noon, we received a call of a loose donkey on Deaton Bridge Road in Milton. A Deputy Sheriff responded to the scene to assist. In addition, our Dispatch contacted our independent livestock contractor for assistance. Santa Rosa Deputy Sheriff attempted several times to coral the donkey with negative results.
Once the livestock contractor arrived, Santa Rosa Deputy Sheriff was told that his assistance was no longer needed. SRSO later learned, the independent livestock contractor shot and killed the donkey.
Santa Rosa County is known for having a large population of livestock and is a deep-rooted part of our culture. Because of this, SRSO is deeply troubled by this incident. The safety and care of animals has been and remains of the utmost importance to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Because of the unfortunate outcome of this incident, SRSO has assigned this investigation to Major Crimes Division. As SRSO progress through this investigation, Navarre Newspaper will provide updates.
