Arizona: Mesa dog groomer, boyfriend arrested in case of missing dog, dog still not found

ARIZONA -- An employee at a dog grooming store and her boyfriend were arrested for stealing a dog from a customer, police said, but the tiny dog is still missing.

Izabella Santa Bujanda, 20, who worked at Animal Clipper, admitted to concealing BeBe by wrapping her with a towel and walking out the back door with her last Saturday, according to police.

She then handed the small dog to Anthony Marc Barrera, who was waiting in a car behind the business.

When the pair heard the crime was getting news coverage, Barrera drove BeBe to a neighborhood in Las Sendas, possibly near Power and Thomas roads in Mesa, and dumped the tiny three-pound dog near a front yard of a house, police said.

The dog still hasn't been found.

Police said Barrera admitted to what he did.

Both Bujanda and Barrera have been charged with one count of felony theft, police said.

The dog's owner, Chrissy Willingham, told The Arizona Republic she is holding out hope BeBe will be found.

"I would just like the community to know that although I have some relief, I’m still wanting and needing my BeBe," Willingham said.

"Please keep an eye out for BeBe as she is still missing."

If anyone has seen or found BeBe, please call the Mesa Police Department at 480-644-2211 or call Silent Witness at either 480-WITNESS (948-6377) or 1-800-343-TIPS (8477).

(AZ Family - March 1, 2018)

Earlier:

• Arizona: Mesa pet owner distraught after dog vanished from groomers

Arizona: Mesa pet owner distraught after dog vanished from groomers

ARIZONA -- A Mesa pet owner says she’s devastated after her dog vanished while at the groomers.

"It's really hard not having her here,” Chrissy Willingham said.

Looking at the empty puppy playpen, Willingham says her and her family’s hearts feel empty as well.

“I want my baby, of course, but I also want answers. No one can give me answers," said Willingham.

Willingham says her 2-year-old Biewer terrier “Bebe” is only 3 pounds but is a huge part of her family.

"She is family, she's like my third baby," Willingham said.

Her “baby" is now missing. Saturday morning, Willingham says she brought Bebe to Animal Clipper Grooming in Mesa for a day of pampering. After a couple of hours, she got a phone call from the grooming facility.

"I have some bad news. We lost your dog. She is missing we lost her," is what Willingham said she was told.

The worst part Willingham says is that there is no clear explanation as to how it happened.

"They just don't know, it's like she just vanished!" she said.

"Never in the 26 years have we never been able to account for a family member that's been entrusted to us,” said Dan Castillo, the owner of the grooming facility.

Castillo said his place has been a long-standing mom and pop shop. He says he and his family are also distraught and sincerely sorry.

"We are devastated. Our hearts go out to the Willingham family. It's tough to come to mom and dad and say, ‘Hey listen, you entrusted us with your family member to do what we do and that is to provide a great service and to be able to say we don't know what happened.’ We're bewildered just as much as they're bewildered," he said.

 

 

He says he's doing all he can to get answers.

"We are still conducting our own internal investigation to see the protocols we have in place, what protocols were not put in place,” said Castillo.

Willingham says she wants answers, but she just really wants Bebe back.

"My question is, who has my dog? Where is she at? Who has her? I want my dog!” she said.

The owner of the facility says they don’t have security cameras. In 26 years, he's never needed them but says he will most likely put them up now. The facility also made up “missing” posters and put them up around the area. A police report was filed and Mesa police are investigating.

 

 

Update: Two people, including an employee of the grooming business, have been charged with felony theft. According to police, they admitted to stealing BeBe, but then claimed they'd dumped her on the other side of town. The tiny three-pound dog hasn't been found.

Izabella Santa Bujanda and Anthony Marc Barrera

(AZ Family - Feb 27, 2018)

Newer:

• Arizona: Mesa dog groomer, boyfriend arrested in case of missing dog, dog still not found

Georgia: Emory Samples, 70, accused of dragging a dog behind his truck then cutting him loose and abandoning it to die in the woods

GEORGIA -- Deputies with Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office have arrested a 70-year-old man accused of dragging a dog behind his truck in the northern end of the county.

According to Cpl. Doug Rainwater, spokesman for the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, Emory Junior Samples was arrested for felony cruelty to animals around 1:15 p.m. Monday after witnesses reported a dog running and being pulled behind an older Ford truck on Settingdown Road.

Rainwater said that witnesses reported the vehicles license plate number, and deputies quickly found the suspected vehicle off of Martin Road.

He said that the dog was found abandoned in the woods close to Settingdown Road and required immediate medical attention.

Samples had to have pulled over, cut the dog loose and then dumped him in the woods to die before driving off.

Rainwater said that deputies found blood in the bed of Samples truck.

Samples was arrested and taken to the Forsyth County Detention Center, and no bond has been set yet.

(Forsyth News - February 5, 2018)

Michigan: Police say Nathan Hulet beat, tortured his puppy, breaking its leg and ribs then drove it to a field and abandoned it to die

MICHIGAN -- The SPCA of Southwest Michigan said JoJo, who police say suffered multiple injuries at the hands of his owner, is making big strides in his recovery and the case against his owner is progressing, as well.

A puppy abused and left to die in a field has been treated and rehabilitated and now the owner of the puppy will soon be facing three counts of animal cruelty after he is accused of breaking its leg and ribs because it had had an accident and peed inside the house while he was out running errands.

Katie Timber with the SPCA of Southwest Michigan, says that two weeks ago a 9-month-old Hound mix puppy shook from pain and fear after his leg was so badly injured it had to be amputated.

Timber said, “When he came in he was whimpering, when you set him down he was clearly in pain so when we removed the leg they sutured him up but the sutures rejected it so we had to go back in and correct it again."

A broken leg, ribs and trauma are just a few of the shocking injuries Richland Police say JoJo the puppy sustained at the hands of his owner 19-year-old Nathaniel Hulet (aka Nathan Hulet, Nate Hulet).

Timber said, "when I picked him up he was unable to use the leg that we had to remove and we brought him right in to our vet team and they removed the leg and he has been rehabilitating ever since."

From the police report:

Officer Scott told me that he knows the dog owner Nathan Hulet as they have had incidents with him in the past and Scott suggested he come along with me as Hulet is known to have an aggressive behavior.

Mr. Hulet invited us into his home, where I saw a large hole/dent in the drywall in the kitchen area.

Officer Scott asked Mr. Hulet about this and we were told he got pissed and punched the wall, causing the damage. I asked him if it was caused by throwing the dog into it, and he told us it was not.

He told us he had let the dog out and closed the door on the dog's leg, accidentally breaking the leg. He then [stated] he had to go to work so he gave money to a friend [redacted] to take the dog to the vet to have it treated

Hulet [claimed he] did not know the last name of [redacted] or where he lived and did not know the phone number of [redacted], but said [redacted] took his money and must have dropped the dog off on Augusta Drive.

...he finally admitted to coming home from the bank and the dog had an accident in the home and he got pissed and picked the dog up over his head and slammed it down on the floor breaking its leg

He likely did more than just that.

He would not alter from the story of [redacted] taking the dog and abandoning it on Augusta Drive.

 

 

Timber said, “It's a really emotional issue, to take an animal that doesn't have a voice and throw it to the ground to the point where it snaps its leg, what a gruesome thing to do."

Neighbors in Richland claim they saw Hulet abandon and dump the wounded puppy in a field near M-89 where he was later found.

Timber said, “He had to have two surgeries, the leg actually opened up again, so he has been through a couple of corrective surgeries"

 

 

Timber says JoJo is now ready for adoption and hopes he will find a safe and loving forever home.

She said, "JoJo is very resilient, he is loving, he is playful, he is gentle."

Three animal cruelty charges are now authorized against Hulet.

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(WWMT - Dec 14, 2017)

New Hampshire: Hollis Police Rescue Kittens Abandoned on Side of Road

NEW HAMPSHIRE -- Police are looking for the person responsible for abandoning several kittens on the side of a road.

On Tuesday, police responded to a call about the kittens, which had been spotted near a road and found the animals.

The responding officers determined the animals had been intentionally abandoned, and were subsequently able to rescue six of the young cats. 

One was adopted by a responding officer, and two others by a family in town. The remaining three were taken by Kitty Angels to be treated by a veterinarian.

Kitty Angels returned to the area and saved another five kittens, which are all in the organizations care.

Police and Kitty Angels are asking residents who see any more of the kittens to contact them rather than trying to capture the animals themselves.

Anyone wishing to adopt a cat from Kitty Angels can visit www.kittyangels.org for more information.

(NH1 - Nov 1, 2017)

New York: Chris Normile, 21, Accused of Throwing Four-Week-Old Kitten From Pickup Truck and Driving Away

GRANVILLE, NEW YORK -- New York State Police arrested a Dresden man Friday, accused of throwing a 4-week-old kitten out the window of a pickup truck in Granville.

State Police say witnesses saw 21-year-old Christopher J. Normile throw a four-week-old kitten out the window of a Chevrolet Silverado into the middle of State Route 22 in the area of Curtis Lumber on September 26.

The Granville men, Myles Roberts and Adam Illsley, were driving their motorcycles near Curtis Lumber when they saw Christopher Normile, who was parked at the traffic pull-off, throw the kitten out the window of the truck.

“He was pulled right up to the road as if he were going to pull out, so I was keeping an eye on him to make sure he wasn’t going to pull out in front of us or anything. He had his window down and as I was keeping an eye on him. 

"I saw him have the little orange kitten right in his hand and he flung it out the window onto the side of 22,” Roberts said.

The witnesses turned Good Samaritans, two men following behind the truck on motorcycles, rescued the small orange kitten from the road and took it to the Granville Small Animal Hospital where it was treated for minor injuries.

NYSP say one of the men then took the kitten home to care for it.

 

The witnesses were able to give responding NYSP troopers a description of the truck, and troopers were able to identify and locate Normile as the driver while he was driving on North Road in Dresden (Yates County) three days later.

Normile was arrested under NYS Agriculture and Markets Law, a misdemeanor, as well as a misdemeanor charge of aggravated unlicensed operation (driving on a suspended license). He is scheduled to be arraigned on the first charge in Granville Town Court.

(WWLP - October 03, 2017)

Florida: Brittany Osborne, 21, starved her Pit Bull until she looked like a walking skeleton then had her friend take the dog to a gas station and claim it was a stray she'd just found. Meanwhile, Brittany went and got herself a new dog.

FLORIDA -- The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Sarasota woman on charges of animal cruelty after deputies connected her with the malnourishment of her 4-year-old dog named “Adria”.

Deputies began their investigation on July 7, when Animal Services Officers were contacted by a woman who claimed to have found a stray dog at a gas station just north of University Parkway on Tamiami Trail in Sarasota.

When officers arrived, they scanned the dog for a microchip which traced back to Brittany Osborne, 21, of Sarasota.

When questioned, Osborne told deputies that Adria, an American Pit Bull mix, was missing for more than a month after she ran away because she was improperly latched.

 

 

After ridding herself of Adria, Brittany went and got herself a new dog. When asked, Brittany refused to take Adria back, claiming the two animals wouldn’t get along.

Due to her extreme emaciation, Adria was transported to a local veterinarian for care. Deputies noted Adria’s overgrown nails and staining on her body consistent with the animal being confined to a small space and forced to lay in urine or feces, which means she couldn't have possibly been running around, on her own, for a month like Brittany claimed.

An evaluation by the veterinarian confirmed that Adria was severely underweight and malnourished.

 

THE TRUTH COMES OUT...

Further investigation revealed the woman who initially claimed to find Adria at the gas station on July 7 was actually a friend to Osborne.

When interviewed, Osborne admitted to asking the woman to call animal services to claim Adria was a stray dog so that she would not get in trouble.

Osborne claimed that she couldn't afford to take Adria to the vet to find out what was wrong with her so she concocted this ridiculous ploy to abandon her.

Osborne was arrested Friday and charged with felony animal cruelty and confinement of animals without food or water. She is also not allowed to have any contact with or ownership of any animals. She remains in custody today on $2,000 bond.

Adria continues rehabilitation under the care of Animal Services staff and may be eligible for adoption in the future.

ARREST INFO:
Name: Brittany A. Osborne
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthdate: 10/12/1995
Arrest age: 21
Address: 5120 Lahaina Drive

(MySunCoast - July 21, 2017)

Louisiana: Rita Mooney was too cheap to get her dog spayed and too lazy to take the resulting puppies to the shelter so she took them out in the boonies and abandoned them to die. Thankfully, a police officer happened to be in the area and caught this POS red-handed.

LOUISIANA -- A Franklinton woman is facing misdemeanor animal cruelty charges after an officer saw her abandon a litter of puppies in a secluded area.

According to the Franklinton Police Department, while on patrol Monday Lt. James Holmes observed a suspicious vehicle quickly speed away from a secluded area.

Holmes then noticed several puppies next to the street and radioed the information to Sgt. Brandon Manning, who was able to stop the vehicle.

A woman in the vehicle, Rita Mooney of Franklinton, admitted to officers that she abandoned the puppies. 

Abandoned to die

Mooney CLAIMED she thought "someone would find them", but she didn't explain what she thought this "someone" was supposed to do with them or explain why she didn't simply take them to her local shelter so they could be adopted.

The puppies were turned over to animal control for safety and will be available for adoption. Anyone interested in adopting the puppies can call City Hall at 985-839-3560.

 

  

 

Mooney was cited for misdemeanor animal cruelty and released until her August court date.

She needs to be charged for every single puppy - not just one charge for the incident.

The Franklinton Police Department and Animal Control would like to remind everyone to please contact local animal shelters if you cannot care for your dogs or cats.

Other possible aliases: Rita Jenkins Mooney, Rita Anthony, Rita Anthony Jenkins, Rita Anthony Mooney

 

  

 

(WGNO - ‎June 20, 2017)