Remembering Molly

Molly looks on as people arrive for the Molly’s Law documentary premiere at the Marion Theatre in Ocala on April 24, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette file photo]

It was on Feb. 22, 2023, that Molly, one of the most loved canines in this area, died at age 15 after battling cancer. Molly, a white mixed-breed canine who survived life-threatening wounds, became the ambassador for Marion County’s animal abuse registry, known as Molly’s Law.

Molly died at her forever home, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Ocala, with her longtime human companion Lilly Baron at her side.

Molly was stabbed three times in the head and had her skull fractured with a baseball bat in early 2014. Her accused attacker, Steven Scott Fleming, served time in state prison on three counts of felony cruelty to animals.

Molly’s Law requires that any offender convicted of an animal abuse crime be placed on the county’s registry. The online database allows citizens, pet sellers and rescue organizations to verify they are not placing an animal with an animal abuser, according to the Marion County website. A handful of other counties in Florida have adopted similar legislation.

On Jan. 1, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement launched its Aggravated Animal Cruelty database at web.fdle.state.fl.us/dexter/about.jsf, which was required by the 2025 Dexter’s Law, and which lists the names of anyone who has been convicted of or has entered a plea of guilty or no contest to cruelty to animal offenses. The state listings show only the names of individuals, but no information about offenses or location.

Marion County’s animal abuser registry, which shows names, address, conviction dates and more, is accessible at marioncountyfl.org/aar