Magistrate Judge Christian Montaño issued his ruling on Wednesday after listening to hours of testimony from animal control officers, law enforcement, the director of the local animal welfare coalition pet center, Hubble’s previous owner and a veterinarian who worked tirelessly to save the bull terrier’s life. Despite efforts to save him, Hubble, a bull terrier, died late last month, a few weeks after he was seized from the home which, according to authorities, is shared by Alirez and Panchita Maes.
Maes, meanwhile, waived her right to a preliminary hearing, and she, too, will stand trial in District Court.
Alirez and Maes are each charged with four misdemeanor counts of cruelty of animals and a fourth- degree felony charge of extreme cruelty to animals.
As of Thursday morning, Alirez, 42, and Maes, 34, remained in custody at the San Miguel County Detention Center.
Montaño kept Alirez’s bond at $10,000. If he does manage to come up with the money for his bond, one of the conditions of release that will be imposed is that he not possess animals.
Alirez, clad in an orange jail jumpsuit, mostly looked down at the table during Wednesday’s preliminary hearing. He was shackled and handcuffed next to his defense attorney, David Silva.
Alirez, however, looked intently at Petroglyph Animal Hospital Veterinarian Dr. Raymond Hudgell during his testimony.
Roughly six people were in the audience listening to the testimony while other witnesses waited in the Magistrate Court reception area.
Twila Quintana, of the district attorney’s office, presented the evidence against Alirez.
Hubble and four other dogs were removed from a residence on the 300 block of Union Street on Sept. 2 by city of Las Vegas Animal Control officers Manuel Silva and Edward Valdez. Hubble was found tied by a three to four foot chain.
Hubble and the four other dogs were taken to the local Animal Welfare Coalition Pet Center near City Hall where they were examined by Martina Holguin. Hubble’s body was littered with maggots, and he had a large cut in his groin area.
Holguin testified that Hubble was the dog in worst condition out of the five that were seized. She transported him to Albuquerque immediately.
Silva questioned several of the witnesses on whether they were confident that his client lived at the residence or if he lived at a house on the 500 block of Blanchard Street. Las Vegas Police Chief Juan Montaño, investigators Steve Pacheco and Pamela Sandoval all stated that they have seen and have been involved in previous cases involving Alirez at the 502 Union Street address. Sandoval said her most recent stop at the residence was in March when she was investigating a shooting in which an Alirez family member was being questioned. She also said that at that point she noticed Hubble, what at that time appeared to be in good shape.
Pacheco said that he would often drop off one of Alirez’s sons at the residence after baseball practice during spring and summer.
The most horrific testimony came from Hudgell who called Hubble “the thinnest dog I have seen alive.” He said Hubble weighed just 29 pounds and was severely dehydrated, barely able to lift his head and was “just barely alive.” Hudgell said the typical weight for a bull terrier is between 65 to 75 pounds.
He added that Hubble had a large cut that was filled with maggots located between his hind legs. Hudgell said Hubble was in pain when he got to his clinic.
“This was probably an injury that began three to five months ago,” Hudgell said. “This is a much older injury that was allowed to become infected and then maggot-infested.”
“He was the thinnest dog I have seen alive,” Hudgell said.
He said that within the roughly 20 days Hubble spent at the clinic, he was able to gain 21 pounds with regular feeding and weighed 43 pounds when he died on Sept. 23.
Joseph Abeyta, Hubble’s original owner, said that when Hubble disappeared roughly a year and eight months ago, he was in good health. He told the court that he was up to date on all his vaccines and was greatly missed by his family.
In his closing arguments, Silva said the prosecution is speculating that Alirez is the owner of the residence and that he resides there. Quintana called the abuse and neglect a form of torture.
(Las Vegas Optic - October 8, 2015)
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