Prosecutors charged Efren Rodriguez Martinez with one count of felony animal cruelty and a sentence enhancement for using a weapon in the alleged June 8 attack on Kimdale Drive in Whitewater, said John Welsh, spokesman for the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.
Sheriff’s deputies went to Martinez’s home to serve a $100,000 arrest warrant, but had not located him as of Friday afternoon.
“Mr. Martinez was not at the Kimdale Drive property and now authorities are keeping a watch for him,” Welsh said. “His mother lives next door to the property. She told deputies that she did not know where her son was.”
Authorities received a 911 call about 7 p.m. the day of the attack, reporting that a dog had been beaten and needed medical aid.
Animal services officer Kyle Stephens responded and learned the dog was stray and being fed and cared for by several people in the neighborhood, some of whom took to calling the animal “Rusty.”
The dog had been hit so hard that one of his eyes popped out of its head, leaving several residents of the neighborhood traumatized and crying.
“I was pretty shocked by it,” Stephens said last week. “He looked horrible. I have never seen a dog with this type of trauma, with the exception of those that have been hit by cars.”
“Rusty” was taken to VCA Animal Medical Center in Indio -- which contracts to provide medical care for the county animal services department -- where he died the evening of June 10, despite receiving around-the-clock intensive care.
Martinez faces up to eight years in prison if convicted, Welsh said.
(Palm Desert Patch - June 19, 2015)
No comments:
Post a Comment