Man with illegal veterinary practice turns himself in, police say

Jose Alvarez-Marrero is in custody of Hialeah Police Department, officers say

HIALEAH, Fla. – Jose Alvarez-Marrero, who was accused of performing an unsterile surgical procedure out of an apartment in Hialeah on a 12-year-old American bulldog named Royalty, turned himself in to the Hialeah Police Department Friday.

Omar Nestor Del Rio said he took Royalty to Alvarez-Marrero's apartment on April 23 and paid him $250 to neuter him. His dog suffered complications and he took his dog to a veterinary clinic on April 30, but it was too late. His dog died shortly thereafter.

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"This case continues to grow, as additional victims have come forward and have contacted our detectives," Hialeah police Lt. Eddie Rodriguez said in a statement.

Hialeah police officers and Miami-Dade Animal Services employees have evidence of Alvarez-Marrero's makeshift operating room. They arrested his girlfriend and alleged assistant, Sophia Gonzalez. She faces a third-degree felony charge of animal cruelty and practicing veterinary medicine without a license.

Alvarez-Marrero faces three counts of practicing veterinary medicine without a license and animal cruelty with intent to injure or kill. Rodriguez said officers took him to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. 


About the Author:

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.