Tallahassee man enters plea in cruelty case involving 150 animals

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - A Tallahassee man facing dozens of felony animal cruelty charges entered a no contest plea Monday to misdemeanor charges instead.

Marion Harmon was arrested in June 2021 after deputies found more than 150 animals on his Capitola Road property. Some of them were emaciated and more than a dozen of them were dead, according to LCSO.

Harmon entered a plea in a Leon County courtroom to five misdemeanor counts and was sentenced to five years probation. He agreed not to own any animals during that time.

Prosecutor Cayelan Cwirka said the plea deal was in concert with an accompanying civil suit in which Harmon agreed not to own or care for animals again.

“For us, the most important thing was that he surrender the animals and not own animals again,” Cwirka said.

“I would rather take care of it for life and address the underlying issue which is hoarding of animals,” State Attorney Jack Campbell said.

Several of the animals rescued from Harmon’s property were taken in by local farms, ranches and rescues.

Two of the animals recovered--a mule and a donkey--are still staying at Triple R Horse Rescue in Leon County.

David Bruns with Triple R Horse Rescue says the donkey is doing well, but that the mule is severely traumatized and may never trust humans again.

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