Dog starved in Fort Worth apartment after owner moved away, police say

A bartender who moved out of his apartment last month, leaving his dog inside to starve to death, faces an animal-cruelty charge, police said Tuesday.

An apartment manager at the Monticello Crossroads Apartments found the dog dead on March 4, according to a police incident report.

The dog was alone in the apartment for “several weeks,” police spokeswoman Tamara Pena said.

Justin Rubio, 28, was arrested Sunday on a state jail felony warrant for cruelty to a non-livestock animal. He was released from the Mansfield Jail the same day on $3,500 bail.

Rubio had been a bartender at Reservoir in Fort Worth’s West Seventh Street district since the restaurant opened in 2012, a Reservoir employee confirmed. He was fired Monday, the employee said.

This story was originally published March 29, 2016 at 7:27 PM with the headline "Dog starved in Fort Worth apartment after owner moved away, police say."