A Florida man is facing multiple charges after a woman accused him of pretending to be a veterinarian and refusing to return her dog after the animal died under his care.
Kenneth D. Wade Jr., 33, was arrested on Thursday and charged with grand theft and practicing veterinary medicine without a license, according to court documents filed in Leon County.
Wade was released under the condition that he stay away from the victim and refrain from posting online about offering veterinarian services, court documents show. He also can’t have any animals.
As of Friday afternoon, no attorney had been assigned to Wade’s case yet, according to the Leon County Clerk of Court’s office.
Woman reached out to man for more cost-effective treatment
The investigation began when a woman called the Tallahassee Police Department on August 27, 2023 and said a man refused to return her dog, a pit bull named Gucci. She showed police proof that she bought the dog in February 2021.
When her dog became sick in August 2023, the woman took the dog to Quincy Animal Hospital. There, medical professionals told her the dog had a stomach obstruction that would have to be passed through a bowel movement or through surgery.