Aron Emily Jacques, 34, of the Santa Clarita Valley, faces four felony counts of cruelty to an animal and five misdemeanor counts of failure to care for an animal, Deputy District Attorney Daniel Rochmes announced in a news release issued Tuesday.
Jacques, 5-foot-4 and 105 pounds, was arrested Sept. 11 on suspicion of animal cruelty.
On Wednesday, she appeared in the Antelope Valley Branch of Los Angeles County Superior Court to be formally arraigned on the charges.
Her arraignment, however, was postponed and is now re-scheduled to take place Dec. 4, Greg Risling, spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, said Wednesday.
The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control discovered horses starving on the Jacques’ property in February, Rochmes said.
According to a copy of the criminal complaint filed against Jacques, the criminal charges of animal cruelty relate to the treatment of four horses in her care.
The complaint reads: “Jacques did, as owner, driver and keeper of an animal unlawfully permit the animal to be in a building, enclosure, lane, street, square and lot of any county and without proper care and attention for the animal.”
Two of the horses died and two had to be euthanized as a result of negligent care, Rochmes said.
The two surviving animals that had been allegedly subjected to cruelty are now recovering, Animal Control Officer R. Montez Kemp told The Signal Wednesday.
“For the most part, they’re doing fine,” she said. “They’re in good, loving homes.”
Recovering are two stallions named Duke and Bug, ages 8 and 6, respectively, Kemp said.
The two other horses identified as victims of cruelty — a 17-year-old thoroughbred mare named Active Two and a 34-year-old male named Navajo — were humanely killed after their medical condition had been assessed, Risling said.
Jacques committed an act of cruelty on each of the four horses on Feb. 1, according to the criminal complaint filed against her. She is also charged with five counts of failing to care for an animal.
A warrant for her arrest was filed on June 25, said Richard Santiago, spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
If convicted of all charges, she faces a maximum possible sentence of seven years and six months in prison, to be served in local custody.
The case remains under investigation by the county Department of Animal Care and Control.
(Santa Clarita Valley Signal-Oct 15, 2014)
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