#2 GRAND THEFT 3RD DEGREE/VEHICLE
NOTES: OUT ON PROBATION
#3 ANIMAL/CRUELTY TO WITH INTENT TO INJURE, KILL
NOTES: OUT ON PROBATION
Yurianne Hervis-gonzalez was sentenced / adjudicated in Miami-dade County. He was listed on the state department of corrections website in relation to the criminal offense, Agg Animal Cruelty on Friday, September 9, 2016.
Despite facing more than 150 felony animal cruelty charges, Gonzalez got probation and is actively posting on Facebook.
In fact, he is posting his own media stories about how he tortured, maimed and killed animals in horrific ways.
This POS is not in jail for the horrible crimes he committed. He is on probation through September 8, 2019 and then will go back to his Nazi ways.
ARIZONA -- Police have arrested a Phoenix man who allegedly used a sledgehammer to kill a dog that had been hit by a car.
Ivan Lawrence (Erick Lawrence), 49, was booked on one count of felony animal abuse under §ARS 13-2910 and a violation of city code for failing to render aid.
This goes back to 9 p.m. Saturday. The dog was hit by one -- possibly two vehicles -- in the area of 37th and Oak streets.
"A few people, including children, were gathered around the injured animal when the suspect, 49 year old [sic] Ivan Lawrence, retrieved a sledgehammer from his home nearby and struck the dog twice in the head, killing it," explained Sgt. Vince Lewis of the Phoenix Police Department.
It's not clear if the dog, Beau, might have survived being hit had she been taken to a veterinarian.
"The dog appeared to have an injured front leg and was weight bearing on 3 [sic] legs and was able to move with the assistance of the other dog that was standing nearby in a protective capacity," according to court paperwork.
"The injured dog was panting and appeared to need medical treatment. The witnesses planned to take the dog to a 24 hour [sic] medical clinic after they established that the owner was not home at the time of the incident."
Lawrence's court paperwork notes that there are "a number" of 24-hour animals hospitals relatively close to where the dog was hit.
A woman came from down the street and said "she would get her husband because he would know what to do."
Lawrence showed up, sledgehammer in hand, a few minutes later. By that time, Beau was lying by the front door of its owner's home.
"Witnesses reported that Ivan proceeded to say he was going to kill the dog with the sledgehammer," the arresting officers wrote in his probable cause for arrest statement. "One witness attempted to verbally dissuade Ivan from killing the dog for approximately 10 minutes to no avail. The witness reported that Ivan was swinging the hammer in an aggressive manner and said he had a gun.
"The witness reported that she told Ivan that she and her mother were going to take the dog to the veterinarian nearby but Ivan said he was going to kill the dog and put it out of its misery," the probable cause statement continues.
"By this time two children were standing nearby from the neighborhood pleading with Ivan to refrain from hitting the dog with a sledgehammer."
The witness told police she was intimidated by Lawrence, enough so that she backed away. That, according to the witness is when Lawrence approached the injured dog.
"The witness [said] the dog was not whining or yelping prior to being struck in the head but the dog yelped loudly when the suspect swung and hit the dog in the head the first time," reads the court paperwork. "The witness reported that the suspect then swung the hammer a second time and hit the dog in the head."
Another witness called the police and officers documented the incident.
"This information was seen by Phoenix Police Animal Cruelty detectives later that week who responded and recontacted the dog owner and suspect," Lewis said.
According to Jessica Headley, who posted about the incident on a public Facebook group called Arizona Animal Rescue Alliance, the owners of the dog, including six children, got home about 10 minutes later to find their pet dead in the doorway of their home.
"She didn't have to die the way she did," Headley wrote in her post, which she has updated several times since the incident. "I begged and begged and pleaded for him to not go on property and do it. ... I couldn't stop him."
"[The owners] were devastated to learn that their pet Beau had been killed in this manner as they would have preferred their pet had been treated at an animal hospital as the witnesses were trying to do," the arresting officer wrote.
Lewis said investigators established probable cause to arrest Lawrence on Wednesday, including being positively identified in a photo lineup by a 10-year-old who witnessed the incident.
"The child reportedly has had crying episodes and nightmares as a result of the incident," according to Lawrence's court paperwork.
When detectives talked to Lawrence about what happened that night, "he confirmed that he euthanized the dog as a mercy killing."
"The suspect admitted he was reckless in killing the dog in this manner and with children present to witness it," reads the arresting officer's report.
Although he claimed to be doing what was "needed" for Beau "to put the dog out of his misery," he told police it's not something he would want somebody to do to his dog.
"The suspect agreed that any reasonable person would have an issue if they saw what he did," court paperwork reads. "The suspect admitted that if his dog were hit by a car he would object to someone doing what he did to his own pet.
During his initial court appearance Thursday, Lawrence only had one question for Commissioner Paula Williams, who set a secured appearance bond of $2,000. One condition of his release is that he not "have contact with any animals under any circumstances." He wanted to know about the time frame for that because he has pets.
Under Arizona law, Lawrence, who served with the National Guard for a time, could face a minimum of three months in jail and a maximum of 18 if convicted of a class 6 felony and 6 months to two years if convicted of a class 5 felony.
ARREST INFO:
Full Name: Ivan Erick Lawrence
Gender: Male
Height: 5'09"
Weight: 170 lbs
Hair Color: BROWN
Eye Color: GREEN
Arrest Date: 04/19/2017
Arrest Agency: Maricopa County, Arizona
Charges
#1 ANIMAL-INTENTL CRUEL MISTREAT
#2 ANIMAL-INTENTL CRUEL MISTREAT
DETAILS FROM THE ARREST REPORT:
ACCORDING TO THE WITNESS THE CHILDREN WERE SCREAMING AND YELLING AT THE SUSPECT TO STOP. THE WITNESSES REPORTED THAT ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO DISSUADE THE SUSPECT FROM HITTING THE DOG IN THE HEAD FOR A PERIOD OF TIME THAT LASTED BETWEEN 8-12 MINUTES BUT THE SUSPECTS WIFE/GIRLFRIEND REPEATEDLY EGGED AND ENCOURAGED THE SUSPECT DO IT.
IT WAS TOWARD THE END OF THE DISPUTE THAT THE SUSPECT MENTIONED HE HAD A GUN AND SWUNG THE SLEDGEHAMMER IN A WAY THAT CAUSED THE WITNESS TO STEP OUT OF THE WAY DUE TO HER FELLING INTIMIDATED AND THE SUSPECT PROCEEDED TO APPROACH THE DOG WHICH WAS LYING BY HIS OWNERS FRONT DOOR AND SWUNG AND HIT THE DOG IN THE HEAD.
ACCORDING TO THE WITNESS THE DOG WAS NOT WHINING OR YELPING PRIOR TO BEING STRUCK IN THE HEAD BUT THE DOG YELPED LOUDLY WHEN THE SUSPECT SWUNG AND HIT THE DOG IN THE HEAD THE FIRST TIME.
THE WITNESS REPORTED THAT THE SUSPECT THEN SWUNG THE HAMMER A SECOND TIME AND HIT THE DOG IN THE HEAD. AFTER THE DOG WAS HIT THE SECOND TIME THE WITNESS REPORTED THAT THE DOGS BODY WAS MOVED FROM THE STRIKE AND THE HEAD WAS CANTED IN AN ABNORMAL POSITION.
THE WITNESS REPORTED THAT THE DOG WAS NOT BLEEDING IN A NOTICEABLE MANNER PRIOR TO BEING HIT BY THE SUSPECT BUT A LARGE QUANTITY OF BLOOD CAME OUT OF THE DOGS HEAD AFTER HE WAS HIT BY THE SUSPECT.
ANOTHER WITNESS HAD CALLED THE POLICE DURING THE INTERIM AND REPORTED THAT NUMEROUS EFFORTS WERE MADE TO STOP THE SUSPECT FROM KILLING THE INJURED DOG WITH A SLEDGEHAMMER. THE DOG OWNERS ARRIVED HOME A SHORT TIME LATER TO DISCOVER THEIR FAMILY PET WAS LYING IN THE ENTRYWAY IN A POOL OF BLOOD DECEASED.
THE SUSPECT DOES NOT HAVE ANY MEDICAL TRAINING PERTAINING TO ANIMALS AND ADMITTED THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE HE COULD HIT THE DOG AND IT NOT DIE AFTER THE FIRST HIT, HOWEVER THE SUSPECT CLAIMED THAT HE WAS IN THE NATIONAL GUARD AND AN EX ATHLETE WHICH WOULD ALLOW HIM TO KNOW THAT THE DOG NEEDED TO BE KILLED.
THE SUSPECT SAID AFTER HE KILLED THE DOG HE WENT HOME AND DID NOT CALL THE POLICE OR WAIT TO SPEAK WITH THE FAMILY WHO OWNED THE DOG. THE DOG OWNERS ARRIVED HOME WITH THEIR SIX CHILDREN TO DISCOVER THEIR PET WAS DECEASED.
ARIZONA -- Police say a Phoenix man went too far after he claimed he was trying to end a dog's suffering after it was hit by a car.
At least one witness told police that Ivan Lawrence, 49, got a sledgehammer and beat a neighbor's dog twice in the head in front of multiple people, including children, after they tried to persuade him not to, according to the Phoenix Police Department.
Lawrence is facing charges of felony animal abuse and failing to render aid. He was being held Thursday in a Maricopa County jail in lieu of a $2,000 bond.
He told police that killing the dog was a mercy because it was obviously in pain.
Family dog strayed from property
The owners of the dog, a 3-year-old pit bill named Beau, were not home when Beau and another family dog strayed from their property near 37th and Oak streets on Sunday. Only Beau had been hit by a car and appeared to be struck by a second vehicle by the time he exited the roadway, limping.
Beau's owner, Kym Jesus-Garcia, said she was told that the family's other dog helped Beau to the front porch.
Neighbors gathered, and at least one witness told police that they were planning to take the injured animal to a 24-hour medical clinic. Jesus-Garcia said neighbors needed help getting the heavy dog into a vehicle, so a neighbor went inside her home to retrieve her husband, suggesting he could help.
It was then that Lawrence came out of his house with a 3-foot-long sledgehammer, according to police.
Jesus-Garcia said five to six people claimed to have been in the front yard during the incident. Police said witnesses argued with Lawrence for about 10 minutes to try and dissuade him from killing the dog, according to court documents. Witnesses reported that the dog was not whining and there wasn't much blood, records show.
"She wasn't dead," Jesus Garcia said. "She probably (had) some internal injuries because she wasn't even bleeding. She wasn't bleeding at all."
Lawrence told police he was in the National Guard and an ex-athlete, which let him know that the dog needed to be killed, according to the court document.
Police say he eventually made an intimidating motion with the hammer, and witnesses stepped out of the way. He struck the dog in the head once and it yelped, records show. He then struck it again.
"It was disturbing because the kids were there," Phoenix police Sgt. Vince Lewis said. "He was swinging the hammer, and at one point threatened to use a gun."
Lawrence was identified in a police lineup by a 10-year-old who witnessed the dog's death, according to court documents. Records also say the child has had "crying episodes and nightmares" since.
'Justice for Beau'
Jesus-Garcia said the family returned home to find their beloved dog lying in front of their house in a pool of blood. She added that the family is pressing charges against Lawrence due to the manner and treatment of the dog's death.
"I feel some relief knowing something's going to happen," Jesus-Garcia said. "Justice for Beau."
Lawrence told police that he was simply putting the dog out of its misery; however, he conceded that it was a "reckless manner" and he wouldn't want someone doing that if it happened to his own pet, according to documents.
Lewis said the dog walked off the road but was still in pain. He wasn’t sure if the dog would have survived if she hadn’t been hit with the sledgehammer. Phoenix Police Animal Cruelty detectives received information after Beau had been buried and wasn't able to examine her.
What to do with injured animals
The Arizona Humane Society said in an email that people who find injured or stray animals can call the Humane Society's field dispatch team at 602-997-7585 Ext. 2073, and the dispatchers will send out emergency animal medical technicians to the scene.
If it's after-hours, people can take animals into 24-7 emergency clinics throughout the Phoenix area. The Humane Society picks up animals each day from such clinics and takes them to their own "animal trauma hospital."
A Humane Society spokeswoman said taking one of these routes can reunite an injured animal with its owner, or put a stray onto the adoption floor when healed and potentially find it a home.
"We were absolutely heartbroken to hear about this story," said Bretta Nelson, a Humane Society spokeswoman. "Our hearts go out to the family who lost their best friend in such a horrific manner."
ARREST INFO:
Full Name: Ivan Erick Lawrence
Gender: Male
Height: 5'09"
Weight: 170 lbs
Hair Color: BROWN
Eye Color: GREEN
Arrest Date: 04/19/2017
Arrest Agency: Maricopa County, Arizona
Charges
#1 ANIMAL-INTENTL CRUEL MISTREAT
#2 ANIMAL-INTENTL CRUEL MISTREAT
FLORIDA -- The man who deputies say beat two dogs with a sledgehammer was taken into custody Saturday afternoon, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies said Kimberly Stone, 47, was questioned and gave conflicting information about what happened. Investigators eventually determined his girlfriend allegedly asked Tad Ray Whitworth to "euthanize" the dogs for her, sheriff's spokeswoman Carrie Horstman said.
Witnesses said he even tried to bury them because he thought he had finished the job, according to WFTS-TV.
Together, the dogs received 22 staples to close the wounds.
Horstman said the dogs were flea infested, had patches of hair missing and had overgrown nails. Bella also had cataracts in both eyes and could barely see.
Both of the dogs were treated and are now in the care of the SPCA of Lakeland.
An anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers led deputies to find Whitworth inside a residence on Lake Kotsa Drive, just east of Lake Wales, Horstman said.
Whitworth is facing two counts of felony animal cruelty. Horstman said Stone has not been charged but deputies are investigating her involvement in the crime and any possible charges.
Deputies say Whitworth has an extensive criminal history. He’s been in the Polk County Jail on 10 prior occasions and was just released from state prison in March 2015 after serving a one year sentence. He’s been to state prison four times.
“Obviously, this is certainly not a way to euthanize elderly pets. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control facility is certainly here to help people with that type of situation,” Polk County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Donna Wood said. “You do not take that into your own hands with a sledgehammer.”
ILLINOIS -- The attorney for a Waukegan man accused of beating a family member and killing three dogs said he will not accept a plea deal with Lake County prosecutors.
Robert Ritacca said he intends to take the case against Juan Rositas, 49, to trial if Judge James Booras does not dismiss the charges against him.
"This matter will proceed to trial depending on the motion to reconsider," Ritacca said Monday.
Last week, Booras ruled against two motions filed by Ritacca to dismiss charges against Rositas.
Ritacca said in court he wanted to file a motion to reconsider that decision, but was waiting for a transcript of the court proceeding before filing the motion.
Rositas is charged in two criminal cases, one for the crimes against a family member who prosecutors allege he attacked, and another for killing three animals that had been living in the house.
He faces up to 15 counts on charges including armed violence, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated domestic battery and intimidation for attacking the family member between April 5 and April 10.
Rositas is accused of threatening to "chop up" the family member with a machete while she pleaded for her life during a confrontation. It's also alleged the victim was beaten, threatened with physical harm if she went to the hospital and forced under threat of violence to say she'd been having an affair.
Rositas also faces nine counts on charges including armed violence, animal torture and aggravated cruelty to animals in the second case. Rositas previously admitted in court that he hit the dogs with sticks and a hammer to separate them when they would fight. He said all three dogs just "passed away" between October 2014 and January 2015.
The bodies of all three animals were exhumed from the backyard and examined by investigators earlier this year. Rositas was charged in April.
He faces 10 to 30 years in prison if he's convicted of the attacks against the family member, officials said. He also faces 3 to 7 years in prison if convicted of the attacks against the animals.
He remains held in Lake County jail on $750,000 bail, authorities said. He is due back in court July 29.
ILLINOIS -- Waukegan man charged with animal torture in connection with the deaths of three dogs unexpectedly took the stand Monday during pretrial defense motions and admitted to hitting the dogs with a hammer and blocks of firewood..
Juan Rositas, 49, said he used firewood, a framing hammer and "whatever was at hand" in attempts to break up the pit bulls when they engaged in fierce fights.
Defense attorney Robert Ritacca initially had Rositas, who also is charged with felony domestic battery, take the stand to testify that he had never approved a search of his Waukegan house or backyard, where Rositas said he buried the dogs.
The hearing was held for a judge to rule on defense motions to suppress the search warrant and to dismiss some of the indictments against Rositas. Judge James Booras ultimately denied the motion, stating that a relative, who had common access to the property as a co-owner of the home, had given police consent.
Before the ruling, Assistant State's Attorney Jason Humke had the opportunity to cross examine Rositas. The prosecutor asked whether Rositas ever hit the dogs with a hammer.
"Whatever I had in the house to break them up," Rositas said. "When they got into it, they got into it pretty good."
Rositas admitted he struck the dogs with a "framing hammer" but said he never struck them with a larger sledgehammer, as a grand jury indictment alleges.
Responding to further questioning, Rositas said he buried the dogs in the backyard after they died, in accordance with a relative's wishes. He also admitted to taping the dogs' legs together, but said he did that after they had died in an effort to make them fit into bags for burial.
"I don't know how to bury dogs," he said.
Rositas was unclear when asked what led to the deaths of Toro, Bandit and Ranger. He indicated the deaths were the result of fights that took place after Bandit and Ranger broke out of their cages and fought with Toro, who had the run of the house.
When Humke asked about blood found on the walls and ceiling of the house, Rositas said it was from the dogs fighting.
"It took me, by myself, 10 to 15 minutes to break them up," Rositas said.
The dogs died at separate times over the fall and winter, according to prosecutors and Rositas' testimony.
Rositas faces several felony charges, including domestic violence involving strangulation of a family member and the torture and killing of the dogs.
He was indicted by a Lake County Grand Jury on charges of aggravated kidnapping, armed violence, aggravated domestic violence, unlawful restraint, and intimidation and stalking. Those charges relate to alleged action against the relative between April 5 and April 10 of this year.
According to the indictments, a machete was used to intimidate and control the family member. He also is accused of striking the relative in the head, indictments state.
In the deaths of the pit bulls, Rositas is charged with animal torture and animal cruelty.
The indictments include animal abuse allegations that Rositas "tied the paws" of Toro and then struck him with a sledgehammer, "causing extreme physical pain."
Rositas is accused of suffocating Bandit and striking Ranger with a hammer, according to the indictment.
During Monday's hearing, Waukegan Police Officer Kelly Gordon testified that she responded to the home on the afternoon of April 11 and found a woman in a car outside. Gordon said she was invited inside while the woman packed her belongings. A machete was confiscated at the request of the woman, Gordon testified.
Ritacca asked Gordon whether she had a search or arrest warrant when she entered the home and took possession of the machete. The officer replied that she did not.
Asked by Humke what would have happened if Rositas had been found in the home that afternoon, Gordon responded, "He would have been taken into custody for domestic battery."
Earlier in the hearing, Rositas testified that he previously left the home at the request of a relative and had been staying with his sister in Chicago, where he got a job. He said he turned himself in to Waukegan police after he received a text from a family member that a police report had been filed.
Ritacca has maintained that Rositas was overcharged in the case, and that improper enhancements to the charges were included.
Booras on Monday denied motions on those issues.
"I find the offenses are properly charged," Booras said.
Rositas, who is being held in Lake County Jail in lieu of $750,000 bail, is scheduled back in court Monday, July 20. His trial remains set for Aug. 3.
EARLIER: During Rositas' arraignment, Judge James Booras outlined information from Lake County Grand Jury indictments including allegations that Rositas used a machete to intimidate and threaten an adult family member.
At one point, the family member was pleading for her life while Rositas was questioning her and threatening her with the machete, the judge said. Rositas then told the family member to stop pleading for her life or he'd "chop her up," Booras said.
Rositas also allegedly used the machete to keep the family member from going to the hospital, the judge said.
Booras said Rositas allegedly "tied the paws" of a dog named Toro and then struck him with a sledgehammer "causing extreme physical pain." Rositas suffocated another dog, named Bandit, according to the allegations, and a dog named Ranger was struck about the body with a hammer.
Authorities said the dogs were beaten with tools and killed between last Thanksgiving and Jan. 1.
(Chicago News Sun - July 13, 2015)
ILLINOIS -- A Waukegan man facing animal cruelty and torture charges is accused of beating two dogs to death and suffocating a third with a plastic bag, police said.
Juan Rositas, 49, of the 100 block of Fulton Street, has been charged with three felony counts each of animal torture and aggravated cruelty to animals. He also faces misdemeanor charges of domestic battery, police said. At the time of his arrest, he was wanted on a warrant for charges of aggravated assault and use of a deadly weapon, police said.
Waukegan police Lt. Edward Fitzgerald said Rositas used tools to beat the pit bulls. The beatings took place between Thanksgiving and Jan. 1, he said.
According to police, the investigation began when the city's animal control office received a tip from the Lake County state's attorney's office. Police found three graves in the backyard, authorities said, and necropsies were later ordered.
Fitzgerald said one dog was beaten to death with a claw hammer and another was beaten and then had a plastic bag placed over its head until it stopped breathing. The third dog was killed with a sledgehammer, Fitzgerald said.
Rositas is being held on $750,000 bail and cannot be released until he undergoes a court ordered psychiatric evaluation. He could face between five and seven years in jail for each of the felony charges.
"This is a uniquely tragic case, and we will be prosecuting it to the fullest extent of the law," Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim said.
He is scheduled for a May 8 hearing in Lake County Circuit Court.
FLORIDA -- One of the final suspects wanted in connection with an illegal slaughterhouse in west Miami-Dade has been arrested.
On Tuesday, August 5th, Miami-Dade police raided a property where they thought Yurianne Hervis Gonzalez (aka Elvin Hervis Gonzalez) was hiding and took him into custody. During the arrest they found that Gonzalez, 34, was in possession of a stolen truck.
Gonzalez joins Raul “Freaky” Fernandez (Raul Fernandez) and Yoinsley “Pipe” Garcia (Yoinsley Garcia) who have been charged with multiple felony counts of animal cruelty. Fernandez has been held without bond for months while Garcia is out on bond. Both are awaiting trial.
The trio was tracked down as part of Operation Noche Buena, a five month-long undercover investigation in which Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) investigators collected evidence on the illegal slaughter farm which killed animals in the most horrific ways, such as: skinning, butchering, stabbing, hammering, shooting, and boiling animals alive.
Gonzalez has a reputation of being an extremely violent criminal and has worked in the illegal animal slaughter and torture trade for most of his life, according to ARM.
Gonzalez is suspected as being a major supplier to the Black Market Horse Meat Trade.
Gonzalez allegedly admitted to police during questioning that he was a car thief since several vehicles found on the property where he was captured came back as stolen.
He is facing over 150 animal cruelty crimes along with auto theft, horse killing and domestic abuse.
OKLAHOMA -- A Tulsa man was sentenced to 30 days in jail after pleading guilty to beating two dogs in the head with a sledge hammer because "he did not own a gun."
Robert Beach, Jr. , 40, was sentenced on Friday to two concurrent sentences of 30 days in the Tulsa County jail with credit for time served.
According to the affidavit, on Sept. 23, 2012, an animal welfare officer responded to Beach’s residence after a complaint of a dog bite.
The first dog was described as an eight-month-old female brindle Boxer named “Little Girl,” the second described as a two-year-old female tan Boxer mix named “Lil’ F------.”
According to witness reports, Little Girl’s puppies escaped Beach’s fenced backyard and entered a neighbor’s yard. Two girls began playing with the puppies. At that time, one of the puppies yelped and the two adult dogs jumped the fence and attacked one of the girls. The girl received punctures to her hand and arm and several lacerations to her chin and throat, according to court documents.
Beach heard the commotion and entered the backyard to retrieve the dogs. According to police records, he wanted to “kill the dogs as quickly and painlessly as possible.”
Using a five-pound sledge hammer, he hit the two dogs in the head, according to documents.
Beach was previously convicted of second-degree burglary in 1992 and possession with intent to distribute in 1998, according to records.
Beach was fined $300 for each charge and assessed two $75 fines for victim compensation.
According to Oklahoma law, acts of cruelty to animals is punishable by imprisonment in the state penitentiary not exceeding five years, or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one year, or by a fine not exceeding $5,000.
MINNESOTA -- A Savage man who hit his dog with a sledgehammer this summer pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges Wednesday.
He is expected to be sentenced Dec. 3.
Rudolph William Poppe, 71, hit the golden retriever more than 12 times in the head -- in full view of his neighbors -- in June, according to the criminal complaint. He told a neighbor attempting to intervene that he was going to "put the dog out of its misery," the complaint said.
Poppe pleaded guilty to felony animal cruelty and a gross-misdemeanor count of obstructing the legal process, according to Scott County officials. Another animal cruelty charge and disorderly conduct charge were dismissed.
Neighbors were screaming and crying by the time police arrived, according to the complaint. Poppe then put a plastic bag over the dog's head in an effort to suffocate it, the complaint said. When police tried to arrest him, Poppe resisted.
The dog, still trying to stand when police arrived, was later euthanized at a veterinary clinic, according to court documents.
Poppe spent nearly 30 days in jail after his arrest in July. He is now free on bail, authorities said.
MINNESOTA -- A 71-year-old Savage, Minn. man faces numerous charges after allegedly using a sledgehammer to try and kill his dog last week.
Rudolph William Poppe specifically faces felony counts of animal cruelty and animal torture, one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct and one gross misdemeanor count of obstruction of legal process in connection to the July 12 incident.
The following is according to the criminal complaint:
At 7:16 p.m. on the day of the incident, Savage Police were dispatched to the 13400 block of South Alabama Avenue in Savage on the report of a man beating a dog with a sledgehammer.
When police officers arrived, they saw neighbors — both adults and children – screaming, crying and pointing to the address where a man was standing in the driveway.
As officers approached the man, later identified as Poppe, they observed a dog, which appeared to be a golden retriever, lying on the ground near the garage door with a white plastic bag tied over its head.
Officers could see a large pool of blood, clumps of fur and body tissue near the dog, which appeared to still be breathing. The officers then told Poppe that he was under arrest.
Officers tried to handcuff Poppe, but he resisted and refused to follow repeated demands to place his hands behind his back. Officers had to force Poppe to the ground and use two sets of handcuffs to restraint him. After more struggling, he was placed inside the back of the police car.
An officer then went back to the dog and took the plastic bag of its head. The officer observed the dog’s skull had been cracked open. The dog’s face was covered in blood, but its eyes were open and it was still breathing. The dog tried to stand up twice while the officer remained with the dog, waiting for 4Paws to arrive.
A neighbor who witnessed the incident told police that Poppe, who was swearing loudly, brought the dog outside to “put it out of its misery.”
Despite the neighbor’s pleas to bring the dog to the vet to have it put down, Poppe began swinging the hammer into the dog’s head. The neighbor saw Poppe hit the dog in the head about 15 times. The neighbor then ran and called 911.
After his arrest, Poppe told police that his dog was old, could barely walk and pooped on his floor, so he took it outside and hit the dog with the hammer. He didn’t know how many times he hit the dog, but said he then put the plastic bag over its head to try and finish killing it. He did not answer when asked why he did not bring it to the vet to be euthanized.
The dog was euthanized soon after the incident by a veterinarian at 8:40 p.m.
If convicted of his charges, Poppe could face up to two years in prison for each felony charge, one year for the misdemeanor charge and 90 days for the gross misdemeanor charge
WEST VIRGINIA -- A Calloway Heights man appealed for help Tuesday from the Raleigh County Commission to deal with loose dogs in his neighborhood, relating a chilling tale of how a pit bull attacked an elderly woman while she was walking her dog a month ago.
In the same meeting, the commission revealed its list of priority infrastructure projects for the year ahead.
Chris Graham said the victim, in her 70s, was bitten by the pit bull and almost passed out, while slugging the animal with a fist in a futile bid to get it off her own pet.
“Several men hit the dog with sledge hammers but it wouldn’t let go of her dog,” he told the commission.
Graham said 911 was called numerous times and the incident escalated to the point where the pit bull was put down.
“It was a situation where it was either watch it kill or put it down,” he said.
Since then, he said, other dogs in the same neighborhood pose a threat. One neighbor fears walking to her mailbox and Graham said he worries about his mother being assaulted by canines.
Commission President Dave Tolliver said he has received a number of calls from concerned citizens and has taken up the issue with the animal control unit, supervised by the sheriff’s department.
Graham said animal control advised him it makes routine runs through the neighborhood but hasn’t seen any dogs running loose.
WEST VIRGINIA -- A dog breaks away from its chains and attacks another dog and its owner.
Even the most aggressive bark can be ignored by calming sense knowing a dog is chained up and fenced in. But that sense of security in the Calloway Heights community was violated on Sunday after a pit bull breaks free from his chains.
"I was catching my neighbor's dog which I usually do when he gets loose and he just ran up to another dog and started attacking him," Billie Riffle, a neighbor said.
Billie lives next door to the caretaker of Caesar the pit bull. He said once Caesar busted loose, she took off down the street attempting to get the dog back.But she was too late.
A crowd of witnesses gathered as Ceaser began to attack.
"He would not let go!She just calling, "it is killing my dog!"It was just so heart breaking," Diane Harris a witness said.
Harris describes the gruesome scene.
A women in her 70s walking her 1-year-old poodle, Brady and the pit bull attacks! Witnesses said it took 4 grown men, a sledge hammer and finally a gun to stop the dogs attack.
For Harris this comes as a shock, she owns a tiny pug and said the bystanders did the right thing.
"If any dogs were to come into my yard and attack mine I would shot it," Harris said.
Our crews spoke with the care taker of the pit bull on the phone and her thoughts are not on Caeser, instead Brady and his owner.
She explained she has been caring for her nephew's Pit bull, and cannot understand how he broke free from his chains.
She said she is extremely sorry and offered to pay for Brady's vet bill.
Witnesses said Brady's stomach and legs were chewed up pretty badly and the owner, was also bitten in the leg.
Brady was in surgery earlier on Monday, no word on the dog's condition.
CALIFORNIA -- Jack Mark Ziniuk had a lot to learn about hiding evidence. Police say the Anza, California man decided to beat his horse to death with a sledgehammer in April, then decapitate it with a chainsaw and feed the head to his 40 dogs.
He then called police to report the dogs had attacked said horse. But deputies quickly deduced that the evidence didn’t indicate a canine attack, since dogs are generally incapable of operating chainsaws.
Ziniuk pleaded not guilty to felony animal cruelty charges.
At the time of his arrest, he owed thousands of dollars in fines for violations at this unlicensed kennel.
Fortunately, he died over the weekend, saving the broke state of California the expense of trying his sorry ass.
CALIFORNIA -- A Riverside County man suspected of decapitating his horse with a chain saw has been found mentally competent to stand trial.
Sixty-four-year-old Jack Mark Ziniuk was charged with felony animal cruelty in April.
Officials said he hit the horse over the head with a sledgehammer - which couldn't have killed it immediately, decapitated it with a chainshaw, then fed the head to his dogs on his property in the remote mountainous community of Anza.
A judge on Friday said psychiatric analysis showed Ziniuk, who has pleaded not guilty, was mentally fit to stand trial.
Ziniuk had called authorities to his property, telling them his horse was having seizures after being attacked by dogs and needed to be put down.
Prosecutors have said he neglected the horse before killing it.
CALIFORNIA -- Inside a dark, cramped trailer with food and indescribable garbage just laying about, Jack Ziniuk slept. Joining him inside the trailer were around 20 dogs, cats and birds.
He owns an Anza ranch on Upper Tule Road.
Dogs are bred here. They lived in these cages. The two employees here say it all started off well. But, with age, Ziniuk couldn't afford to pay for this place. The dogs went hungry.
When a horse of his suffered malnutrition, sheriff's deputies charged Ziniuk with trying to put the horse down with a sledgehammer.
"He didn't even have enough strength to get that accomplished for one. Two, the way he was wielding it, he missed a couple of times. It missed the body. You could hear the thumps.
"I knew it was alive at this point because I could still see its tail clearly moving. It was terrible.
"When he realized that he wasn't going to be able to do it that way, he told John, go get the chainsaw," said employee Phillip Thomas.
Deputies arrested Ziniuk. The 64-year-old could face five years if convicted. He pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty charges.
We asked Thomas, "If you worked here, why didn't you tell the cops?"
He answered, "Well, animal control has been here. They've know all this stuff. They've been trying to shut him down for so long. I don't know the legalities of that, what held this up for so long.
We asked Thomas another question, "So, you would see Animal Control but they did nothing?"
Thomas' answer was, "Nothing. They came here many times. They wrote him tickets that he was never intending to pay anyway."
Stephanie Weyls now has 13 of Ziniuk's dogs. She says many of these breeding dogs were found in various states of neglect.
Weyls said, "I received a call from a friend of mine in town that has a veterinary supply place and she told me the situation about Jack that he had been arrested and that the authorities, the animal control, were telling them to disperse the animals and find them safe places to go."
Anza residents came in and rescued many of Ziniuk's dogs. Now, animal control wants to take them to a county shelter where they may be euthanized if deemed "unadoptable."
"They allow people like Jack to continue to make puppies and abuse his animals and breed indiscriminately. The small private rescue that care about animals are the ones that are taking the hits," said Weyls.
Animal control says people took these dogs illegally and anybody who has them is breaking the law. But, Weyls and others say they will not hand over these dogs. Late Thursday afternoon, animal control confronted Weyls and told her may forward information to the District Attorney's office for possible theft charges.
CALIFORNIA -- A Riverside County man was arrested on charges of felony animal cruelty after police say he bludgeoned his horse with a sledgehammer, decapitated it with a chainsaw - WHILE IT WAS STILL ALIVE - and then fed it to his dogs.
Jack Ziniuk, 64, of rural Anza called authorities Sunday morning to say his horse had been injured by dogs, was having seizures and needed to be put down, Riverside County Sheriff’s Sgt. Bill Roach said.
But when officers arrived they found a headless horse. A bloody sledgehammer was submerged in a bucket of water and a chainsaw sat nearby. The animal’s head was lying in a dog run where Roach said it was serving as food for Ziniuk’s dogs.
“He told us he was having an argument with his neighbors and some dogs had attacked his horse but when deputies got out there they found the horse already dead,” Roach said. “He essentially admitted that he did it and that no dogs had attacked the horse.”
Roach said he didn’t know why Ziniuk would call police saying his animal was ill and then behead it before they arrived.
The Riverside County Department of Animal Services has been to Ziniuk’s property numerous times because of his animals' living conditions, said John Welsh, department spokesman.
“We have been keeping an eye on this guy for a long time,” he said. “We have cited him for having too many dogs and not having dog licenses. We have cited him for everything we could cite him for, but he has done just enough to avoid seizure of his animals.”
Court records show that Ziniuk has faced multiple kennel violation charges along with failure to get his animals properly vaccinated.
Welsh said Ziniuk had at least 33 dogs, eight puppies, 10 goats, peacocks and geese. Two other men on the property will care for those animals while Ziniuk is gone.
The horse’s remains have been sent to a state lab, where a necropsy is being done to determine the cause of death and whether it was alive when decapitated.
“It appears this horse did not receive the vet care it needed prior to its death,” Welsh said. “This is common sense. If you have an animal that is suffering, get it the help it needs.”
Ziniuk is being held at the Robert Pressley Detention Center.
