Armenteros was sentenced to time served — the 93 days he stayed in the county slammer after he was arrested — and $11,513 in fines and penalties.
And he’ll be on probation for five years and has been ordered to serve 200 hours of community service.
In an agreement with the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s office, Armenteros pleaded guilty, according to records, to one felony and 20 misdemeanors.
“There were mitigating circumstances,” Anthony Alvarez, Armenteros’ defense attorney, tells Gossip Extra. “We were able to reach an amicable accord with the prosecutors because my client had no prior record.”
Alvarez says he was able to work out a deal because the animals that Armenteros was transporting were for use in Santeria rituals. (Santeria is a religion found in Cuba and parts of Africa with rituals that include animal sacrifices.)
“These were not for acts of violence but religious rituals,” Alvarez said. “There’s a lot of hypocrisy here. The same people who were screaming about this are probably having a steak right now.”
Hey moron. We don't put the cows inside plastic bags in the trunks of our cars to die.
Last year, police were called after a passer-by heard what they thought were screams from a baby coming from the van.
Officers found no child inside the vehicle, but discovered the menagerie of animals, which included eight roosters, four guinea hens, four pigeons, four goats and a duck.
The goats were allegedly tied up in plastic bags and one had died by the time police arrived.
Armenteros, 46, and his friend James Arroyo Jr, 44, were arrested when they came back to the van 45 minutes after officers responded the scene.
The two men were each charged with 22 counts of animal cruelty and were given bonds of $110,000.
(Gossip Extra - Aug 15, 2012)
No comments:
Post a Comment