Keyes woman who drowned puppy is back in jail for trying to rob animal shelter, deputies say

MARATHON, FL. — About 24 hours after she walked out of the Monroe County Jail after deputies accused her of drowning a schnauzer puppy, Deline Lowry is back behind bars after authorities say she tried to break into a home Wednesday. animal shelter to “steal dogs that previously belonged to her.” “

Lowery, 72, was first arrested on aggravated animal cruelty charges Monday after cops said she suffocated and drowned the 6- to 10-month-old puppy in a bag outside her Big Pine Key home. ; Court records show she was released Tuesday night on $35,000 bail. She now faces charges of burglary and criminal mischief.

According to an arrest report from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Lowery’s husband called someone – who then called MCSO shortly before 5:30 p.m. – and reported that his wife was breaking into the SPCA Florida Marathon campus, located at 10550 Aviation Blvd. “get her dogs back.”

Deputies said surveillance video shows Lowery “arriving at the SPCA with her husband, climbing the fence to the locked business, attempting to break into the business, and then climbing onto the dog crates to jump back over the locked fence.”

Lowery damaged the door in the process, causing $600 in damages, the report states.

Deputies wrote that an SPCA representative told them that “the dogs Deline attempted to steal previously belonged to her and (her husband), but (her husband) transferred ownership of the dogs to the SPCA.”

Authorities said they returned to the couple’s home on Palmetto Avenue in Big Pine Key and took Lowry into custody, wearing the same clothes she was wearing during the break-in attempt.

During an interview at the MCSO substation in Marathon, Lowery stated that she did not know why she was being spoken to and stated that she did not know what the SPCA was, deputies said. And this despite the fact that SPCA employees told deputies that they knew her personally, the report says.

Jail records show she was back in the MCSO jail in Key West without bond as of Thursday morning.

She is scheduled to appear in court on the burglary charge on Dec. 3 and has another trial scheduled for Dec. 5 on the animal cruelty charge.