June 22, 2026
PRESS RELEASE
(Santa Rosa County, Florida) Ginger Bowden Madden, State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit of Florida, announces that on June 19, 2026, Gunner Cole Bush was convicted by a Santa Rosa County Jury of Aggravated Animal Cruelty. The Defendant is scheduled for sentencing before Judge Clifton Drake on July 27, 2026.
On December 9, 2023, in the early morning hours, the Defendant tortured a kitten to death. The Defendant moved into the home of his then girlfriend and her family in the summer of 2023. During that time, two other cats went missing. One of the cats had been in the family for five years. The Defendant was also the last person seen with one of the cats. After the death of the kitten on December 9, 2023, the family discovered the remains of the two other cats nearby. A tool used to mutilate the kitten was found in the Defendant’s truck.
The case was investigated by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office and Santa Rosa County Animal Services. Special assistance was provided by the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine – they conducted DNA analysis on a tool used to harm the kitten and they performed a necropsy on the deceased animal.
Assistant State Attorney Patrick King prosecuted the case on behalf of Ginger Bowden Madden, State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit of Florida. For more information, please contact Mr. King at (850) 981-5500.
