New Mexico: Sara Mauter, 31, named in investigation of dogs left to die horrible deaths inside hot vehicle

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO -- Police say she left dogs for dead and trapped inside an SUV for hours Wednesday. Now, authorities have identified the woman caught on video walking away from that vehicle.

It started with a disturbing discovery near Rehm’s Nursery in northeast Albuquerque, when an employee and a customer noticed a black SUV had been parked near the shop all day.

Inside, were a handful of dead dogs.

The mysterious woman caught on camera leaving that vehicle behind has now been identified by Albuquerque Police Department officials as 31-year-old Sara Mauter, and a warrant has been issued for her arrest.

It was originally reported six dogs were found dead inside the SUV Mauter allegedly abandoned, but according to the warrant, there were five. It also shows Mauter faces five counts of extreme cruelty to animals.

It's not clear why she dumped the dogs or the SUV. The dogs' owner, Annette Rosenow, told KOB she hired Mauter – along with her husband, Shaun – to help transport about a dozen dogs to Texas.

Aside from the dogs left in the SUV, Rosenow says Shaun was driving a gray Dodge van with six other dogs inside.

KOB can confirm five of those dogs were turned over to an animal hospital in northwest Albuquerque, with one still unaccounted for.

DOG BREEDER IN TROUBLE WITH AUTHORITIES AS WELL
Rosenow, a dog breeder, is facing 60 charges in regards to her dogs in Torrance County. KOB video says she was ordered by a judge not to leave the state. It appears what she was possibly doing was hiding her dogs from authorities and planning on claiming to them that she had sold them - when they were being transported to Texas.

For APD, the focus remains on finding Mauter. Police say she and her husband may still be in the area driving a 2018 gray Dodge van with the temporary tag 18T0914.

If you know where Mauter might be, you're asked to call Crimestoppers at (505)843-STOP.

*  *  *  *  *  *

RIPOFF REPORT FILED AGAINST BREEDER ANNETTE ROSENOW

(KOB - April 6, 2018)

Earlier:

• New Mexico: Six dead dogs found in abandoned vehicle; woman seen on video leaving them to die
• New Mexico: Five dogs connected to group of dead canines safe and in custody

New Mexico: Five dogs connected to group of dead canines safe and in custody

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO -- Six dead dogs were discovered inside an abandoned SUV Thursday, and now five other dogs connected to them are in the care of Albuquerque Animal Services.

Those five dogs – who reported missing Thursday afternoon – were dropped off alive at an animal hospital in northwest Albuquerque. Animal services say they are being placed in protective custody while they investigate.

The developments come after a breeder Annette Rosenow hired two people to transport 12 dogs to Texas while she faces more than 60 animal violations in Torrance County. 

Police on Friday identified and issued a warrant for the woman (Sara Mauter) who they say left six dogs to die in this black SUV parked near a nursery in northeast Albuquerque.

DOG'S OWNER ALSO IN TROUBLE WITH AUTHORITIES

Those six dogs were part of a larger group. Annette Rosenow, a breeder, said she hired two people on Craigslist to help move 12 dogs from estancia to Texas. On Friday Rosenow said one dog is still missing from that group.

“This is a tragedy; these dogs were not even two years old I had them since puppies,” Rosenow said. “I raised them. They were my babies. This is too much."

Rosenow said she kept more than 30 dogs at a home in Torrance County. KOB has reported that during that time she was slapped with more than 60 animal welfare violations. Those charges stem from failing to license her animals and obtain rabies vaccinations.

“They told me that they we're going to drop the charges,” Rosenow said.

According to documents, Rosenow said she was not allowed to leave the state without court permission. She claims she was granted permission, though KOB couldn't find any evidence of that.

She says her priority now is to get those five dogs back.

"I’m a good dog owner,” she said. “I just made the wrong judgement about these people."

Torrance County Animal Services said those charges against Rosenow have not been dismissed. She is scheduled to be in court April 18

(KOB - April 6, 2018)

Earlier:

• New Mexico: Six dead dogs found in abandoned vehicle; woman seen on video leaving them to die

(February 2018) In Florida, you can slowly starve a dog to death and Volusia County Judge Bryan Feigenbaum will only make you spend about a month in the county jail

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA -- An Edgewater woman was sentenced to 120 days in the county jail Wednesday after police said she starved her pit bull, which eventually died despite efforts by rescuers to try and save the dog’s life.

Sarah Wells, 37, had originally been charged with FELONY ANIMAL CRUELTY in which she faced up to FIVE YEARS IN PRISON if convicted.

Instead, lazy prosecutors and Volusia County Judge Bryan Feigenbaum let her plead "no contest" to the less serious charge of MISDEMEANOR ANIMAL CRUELTY -- essentially the same level of crime as driving without insurance, shoplifting, vandalism and driving without a license. The crime of slowly starving this poor dog to death, in the eyes of the law, is equal to someone stealing a DVD from Walmart.

Volusia County Judge Bryan Feigenbaum adjudicated Wells guilty and sentenced her to 120 days in the county jail followed by 12 months of unsupervised probation based on the plea agreement.

Wells is barred from owning any animals while on probation. But as soon as her one-year probation ends, she is free to get new animals and starve them to death.

So she doesn't get sentenced to state prison, she is only sent to the county jail -- which is much easier and more lenient than a state prison. With jail overcrowding, most inmates are only required to serve 1/3 of their sentence - so this really means she's only been sentenced to 40 days, about a month for the crime of slowly starving her dog to death. 

 

 

Animal abusers will only be deterred from abusing and killing animals when the punishment fits the crime. Also, if you look at Wells' criminal history, you'll see one arrest after another for domestic violence/battery. In fact, she was arrested for bettery AFTER she had been arrested for animal cruelty!!! 

Seems no one in Volusia County cares that she is 100% guaranteed to continue to abuse animals and humans without fear of punishment.

SHAMEFUL:

Volusia County Judge Bryan Feigenbaum is an embarrassment

The case started when police were called Dec. 20 to the Edgewater Animal Shelter, 605 Mango Tree Drive, where they were told that a woman had surrendered a sickly dog the previous day, according to an arrest report.

The woman, later identified as Wells, claimed to shelter staff that the Pit Bull was a stray that had simply walked onto her property, a report stated. But animal shelter staffers were skeptical because the dog was so malnourished that it even wasn’t able to stand up on its own, police said.

Wells subsequently admitted to lying to animal shelter workers, police said. She said the dog named Wiggins had belonged to her and to a man who had lived at the house.

Shelter workers took the dog to Newman Veterinary Center where staff worked to try to save its life. Animal shelter employees renamed the dog Adonis and mounted a social media campaign to help pay for the dog’s care. However, the dog's vital organs had shut down due to the extreme starvation and, despite their best efforts, he died.

“Our sweet Adonis took a serious turn for the worse this afternoon,” the Edgewater Animal Shelter wrote in a Facebook post on Feb. 15. “He passed away surrounded by people that loved him. His body just gave up, he could not overcome the starvation and neglect he suffered.”

 

 

ARREST HISTORY FOR SARAH WELLS:

ARREST DATE: MARCH 26, 2011
Full Name: Sarah Marie Wells
Date:03/26/2011
Arresting Agency: SDPD - SOUTH DAYTONA POLICE DEPARTMENT
Arrest Age:30
Current Age: 36
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthdate: 11/21/1980
Block: 500 Reed Canal Rd
City: South Daytona, Florida 32119
Charges
#1 BATTERY (DV = DOMESTIC VIOLENCE)

ARREST DATE: NOVEMBER 14, 2011
Full Name: Sarah Marie Wells
Date:11/14/2011
Arresting Agency: EWPD - EDGEWATER POLICE
Arrest Age:30
Current Age: 36
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthdate: 11/21/1980
Charges
#1 DOMESTIC BATTERY

ARREST DATE: JANUARY 9, 2013
Full Name: Sarah M Wells
Date:01/09/2013
Time: 1:59 AM
Arresting Agency: EWPD - EDGEWATER POLICE
Total Bond: $1500
Arrest Age:32
Current Age: 36
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthdate: 11/21/1980
Block: Sandhill Rd
City: Ballybunnion, Kerry
Charges
#1 BATTERY CAUSE BODILY HARM
STATUTE: 784.03(1)(a)2
BOND: $1500

ARREST DATE: DECEMBER 21, 2017
Full Name: Sarah M Wells
Date:12/21/2017
Time: 3:35 PM
Arresting Agency: EWPD - EDGEWATER POLICE
Total Bond: $5000
Arrest Age:37
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthdate: 11/21/1980
Block: 300 Berry St
City: San Francisco, California 94158
Charges
#1 FELONY CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
STATUTE: 828.12(2)(a)
BOND: $5000

ARREST DATE: JANUARY 12, 2018
Full Name: Sarah M Wells
Date:01/12/2018
Time: 12:00 PM
Arresting Agency: VCSO - VOLUSIA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Total Bond: $5000
Arrest Age:37
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthdate: 11/21/1980
Block: 300 Berry St
City: San Francisco, California 94158
Charges
#1 BATTERY
STATUTE: 784.03(1)(a)
BOND: $5000

IF YOU LIVE IN THIS AREA, CALL JUDGE FEIGENBAUM'S OFFICE AND LET THEM KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS SENTENCE:

Judge Bryan A. Feigenbaum
Division 80
125 E. Orange Avenue
Daytona Beach, FL  32114
Phone (386) 257-6074
Fax (386) 248-8136

Volusia County Court Judge Bryan A. Feigenbaum was appointed to the bench in 2010. Before becoming a judge, he was an assistant state attorney for the Office of the State Attorney, Seventh Judicial Circuit. Judge Feigenbaum earned an undergraduate degree from Davidson College and juris doctor from the University of Florida. He currently hears criminal cases and presides over Veterans Court at the Volusia County Courthouse Annex at City Island in Daytona Beach.

(News Journal Online - Feb 22, 2018)

New Mexico: Six dead dogs found in abandoned vehicle; woman seen on video leaving them to die

Update: The woman in the video has been identified as Sara Mauter.

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO -- Police are doing their best to connect the dots in a mysterious case of six dogs left for dead in an SUV Wednesday morning.

A business near San Mateo and Lomas caught a female suspect on video leaving that SUV behind. Six dogs were alive at 9:30 a.m. when the video was captured. By 4 p.m. when police arrived, it was a different, disturbing story.

"If we had known, you know those windows would have been taken out. We're all dog lovers here,” said Brian McKinsey, an employee at Rehm’s Nursery.

McKinsey said a customer spotted a black SUV parked in the morning and alerted the nursery when it was still there about six hours later when he returned. That customer said something just didn’t feel right. When McKinsey got a closer look, something was indeed very wrong.

"When I looked through the windows I didn't see anything because there were so fogged up, so moisturized," he said.

McKinsey took a closer look and discovered dogs inside the vehicle were dead.

"They were very contorted and livid. Those dogs didn't die well. It was bad," he said. "They were doing anything they could to get out of there from the way they were postured and looking. They didn't just lay down and die."

KOB got a hold of the dogs' owner, Annette Rosenow from Estancia. She said she hired a woman named Sara and a man named Shaun to transport some of her dogs in two vehicles to her new home in Texas.

"I was evicted from my place and I had to be out there by April 2, Monday. So it was in Estancia, New Mexico and I hired several people for the move," Rosenow said.

Note: Breeder Annette Rosenow was in trouble herself with authorities regarding the dogs and has had charges filed against her.

Rosenow gave police a statement for their report. Police say that second vehicle, a gray Dodge van, is still missing as well as five more dogs.

Both people Rosenow said she hired for the move are nowhere to be found. Police want to know if that includes this woman who is facing several counts of animal cruelty.

KOB did get a hold of Shaun earlier over the phone, the man Rosenow said she hired for the transport. He said he and his wife were hired for the job, but says she loves dogs and would never leave them in a hot car.

Shaun claims the dogs in the van were dropped off at a west side shelter. We put a call into local animal welfare to check that out. KOB looked into Rosenow as well. She's facing 60 counts of animal welfare violations in Torrance County.

Again, police are still trying to identify the suspect in that video, so call Crime Stoppers at (505) 842-STOP if you can help.

(KOB - April 5, 2018)

Rhode Island: Man, sister charged with animal cruelty for not taking Pit Bulls to veterinarian after they were stabbed; one dog suffered until finally dying

RHODE ISLAND -- A Roslindale, Massachusetts man and his sister are both facing animal cruelty charges in connection with an incident that left one dog dead and two others severely injured.

Rhode Island State Police said 18-year-old Paul Thibeau and 26-year-old Julia McDougall turned themselves in Wednesday morning, following a joint investigation with the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RISPCA).

 

 

Both Thibeau and McDougall were arraigned at Providence District Court.

RISPCA spokesman Joe Warzycha said Thibeau was visiting McDougall at her home at 28 Saint James Street in Providence when their Pit Bulls got into a fight.

  

While trying to break up the fight, Warzycha said Thibeau stabbed two of McDougall’s dogs. 

According to Warzycha, both Thibeau and his sister waited more than seven hours before bringing the most severely injured dog to a veterinarian. 

That dog later died from its injuries.

 

 

Joe Warzycha, of the RISPCA, told NBC 10 News that Thibeau waited more than seven hours before he took the dog that was most severely injured to a vet and when he did, the dog was already dead.

“Immediately following the altercation, he put the dog into the dog crate, ran some errands, took care of some other personal things and seven hours later, made the determination to bring the dog to Ocean State [Veterinary Specialists.]”

In addition, Warzycha said McDougall never sought veterinary care for her other two injured dogs.

Thibeau claimed he stabbed the dogs in self-defense, and Warzycha said the RISPCA does not dispute his argument.

The cruelty charges against the brother and sister were based on the fact that neither promptly sought veterinary care for the injured dogs, according to Warzycha.

Rhode Island State Police Press Release:

At 8:30 AM, Troopers arrested Paul Thibeau, age 18, of 39 Archdale Road, Roslindale, MA for Cruelty to Animals - Felony.

The arrest was the result of the barracks assisting the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals with their investigation and Thibeau subsequently turning himself in. Thibeau was processed and later arraigned at Sixth Division District Court.

At 8:30 AM, Troopers arrested Julia McDougall, age 26, of 28 St. James Street, Providence, RI for 1) Cruelty to Animals - Felony and 2) Cruelty to Animals - Misdemeanor (2 counts).

The arrest was the result of the barracks assisting the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals with their investigation and McDougall subsequently turning herself in. McDougall was processed and later arraigned at Sixth Division District Court.

(NBC4i - March 7, 2018)