Woman accused of animal cruelty captured after Clay County crash

43-year-old abandoned 4 animals inside Jacksonville home, investigators say

A woman accused of animal cruelty was arrested Monday after a car crash on Oakleaf Village Parkway in Clay County.

When deputies ran Sara Prewett’s driver’s license after the accident, it came back with an arrest warrant out of Duval County.

The arrest comes four months after investigators said four animals were found abandoned without food and water in a home on St. Clair Street in Jacksonville’s Woodstock neighborhood. Two cats and two dogs were found in early September. News4Jax learned that one of the dogs was dead and the other three animals were emaciated. Investigators said Prewett, 43, owned them and kept them in filthy conditions.

While it’s unclear how long the animals were left abandoned, a neighbor told News4Jax that several weeks had passed between the last time she saw Prewett and the day animal control officers showed up.

A woman and her family now rent the home. The woman said that before they moved in, a cleaning crew told her about what the conditions had been like inside the house.

“That it was like 2 or 3 feet deep in trash with animal feces,” said the woman, who added that even after the place was cleaned up, there was still a lingering smell in the laundry room at the back of the house. “I believe in loving your animals like the way you love your children.”

A warrant was issued for Prewett’s arrest. She was captured in Orange Park on Monday following the crash.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Prewett remained in custody at the Clay County jail and is expected to be handed over to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

If convicted, she could spend up to five years in prison.


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