FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Fort Lauderdale man who was accused of stomping on a duck last year until he killed it is no longer facing a criminal charge after the only witness in the case refused to cooperate, the Broward State Attorney’s Office confirmed Tuesday to Local 10 News.

“Without her testimony, prosecutors were unable to go forward with the case,” Paula McMahon, a spokeswoman for the SAO, told Local 10 News in an email.

Michael Caraker was arrested on July 18, 2023, and initially faced a charge of torturing/inflicting pain, serious injury or death to an animal.

His family told Local 10 News at the time that the accusations were a lie made up by a neighbor who wants the recovery home Caraker was living at to be removed from their neighborhood.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Fort Lauderdale police officers responded to the 400 block of Southwest Seventh Avenue in reference to a man stomping on a white and brown duck.

When officers arrived, they found the deceased duck, which had been flattened, authorities said.

According to the affidavit, a witness told police Caraker had walked into the street and began stomping on the duck for unknown reasons.

He was taken into custody at the scene and was transported to the Broward County Main Jail before being released on bond.

Caraker’s stepfather, David Fishkind, described Caraker to Local 10 News last year as a “gentle giant” who “has never hurt an animal in his life.”

He said Caraker’s mother used to tame birds at a pet shop in Miami and Caraker has been around animals throughout his life without any incident ever occurring.

Fishkind believes the accusations against Caraker were made up by a disgruntled neighbor who wants the recovery home out of the neighborhood in order to protect their property value.

He said last year that Caraker had been sober for six years after recovering from encephalitis, which left him with neurological issues.

He told Local 10 News the witness was not able to provide video evidence to police and the area has many ducks, which frequently get run over by cars.