A 21-year-old Florida dog fitness instructor, Blessing Knighten, is dealing with animal abuse charges after videos appeared of her choking and kicking animals in her care. With a considerable following on TikTok, Knighten was apprehended and booked into Palm Beach County Jail when another dog fitness instructor reported her actions.
Source: WPBF 25 News/Youtube
In one video, Knighten is seen choking a dog for 15-20 seconds, raising its legs off the ground while the animal weeps out in discomfort. She now deals with 5 counts of animal cruelty, and authorities are dedicated to making sure justice is served. Dave Walesky from Palm Beach Animal Care and Control stated that animal cruelty would be prosecuted whenever possible in their neighborhood.
In Florida, a first-degree animal cruelty misdemeanor can lead to approximately 365 days in prison and fines approximately $5,000. Authorities are dealing with the state lawyer’s workplace on this case and other animal cruelty cases in the location, stressing their zero-tolerance policy for such abuse.
The preliminary problem versus Knighten originated from Steve Cabral, owner of Fine Line Family K-9, in mid-March. Cabral offered videos of Knighten maltreating a Belgian Malinois and a black German Shepherd. The arrest report explained one video where Knighten strangled a German Shepherd, triggering the dog to limp and yelp in distress.
Knighten declared that Cabral advised her to maltreat the dogs and threatened to fire her if she didn’t comply. She likewise implicated Cabral’s business of broadly maltreating animals, consisting of not feeding them and utilizing extreme training techniques. However, private investigators questioned her story and concluded that Knighten abused the dogs, triggering them psychological and physical discomfort.
Adding to her legal problems, Knighten was apprehended once again over the weekend for supposedly taking $4,213.53 worth of products from the business. She deals with 2 felony charges of robbery and grand theft. Though she rejected the accusations, cops supposedly discovered a number of K-9 training products in plain view. Knighten was later on launched on bond and is scheduled to appear in court on May 22.
