Deltona Man Arrested On Animal Cruelty Charges In Attack On 2 Dogs; 1 Killed

Date Added: February 04, 2020 10:21 am

Andrew Gant
Office of Public Affairs & Media Relations

DELTONA MAN ARRESTED ON ANIMAL CRUELTY CHARGES IN ATTACK ON 2 DOGS; 1 KILLED

A Deltona man is in jail on animal cruelty charges after he admitted to killing one family dog and striking another one several times.

Austin S. Ilardo, 18 (DOB 10/18/2001), was arrested Tuesday night on one felony count of animal cruelty in the fatal attack on the family’s toy poodle, and an additional misdemeanor count of animal cruelty for striking a Boston terrier.

Deputies responded to his home on Lehigh Drive just before 10 p.m. Tuesday after receiving a report that Ilardo had gone on a rampage in the house. When deputies arrived, Ilardo told them he was angry with his parents and took his anger out on the Boston terrier, striking her several times with his hands and his shoe. He said he realized what he was doing was wrong, and he put the dog in a bathroom so he wouldn’t hurt her any more.

However, when Ilardo called his father to tell him what happened, Ilardo became angry again, started breaking items in the house and then struck and killed the poodle with a wooden dowel.

Deputies recovered the poodle’s body as well as the 15-inch dowel Ilardo used in the attack. Deputies also located the Boston terrier in the bathroom, and while she did not have any visible or apparent injuries, the family indicated they may seek an evaluation by a veterinarian.

Ilardo remained in the Volusia County Branch Jail on Wednesday morning on $6,000 bond.