On September 8, a 9-month-old black-and-white pit bull mix puppy named Blackey was lured with food to the front tire of a minivan in Santa Ana, California. According to police, surveillance video shows what happened next: the driver deliberately drove forward and ran over him, then left.
Blackey did not run away. He walked up to the food because he trusted the person who put it there.
Santa Ana police traced the minivan using license plate technology and tips from the public. On October 2, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer's office charged a 75-year-old Anaheim woman with felony animal cruelty and felony animal abuse by a caretaker, with an enhancement for using a vehicle as a weapon. She was arrested and released on bail. Her arraignment is scheduled for November 2.
Charging this as a felony was the right call. Now I am asking District Attorney Spitzer to hold the line. Too many cruelty cases that start as felonies end quietly as misdemeanor plea deals, with probation and no real consequence.
I am calling on District Attorney Todd Spitzer to:
1. Keep every felony count and the weapon enhancement in place and refuse any plea that reduces them to misdemeanors.
2. Seek the strongest sentence the law allows if she is convicted.
3. Ask the court for a lifetime ban on owning or living with animals, and mandatory mental health evaluation.
A puppy trusted a person and was killed for it. The least we can do is make sure the case Blackey's story started does not get quietly shrunk down.
Please sign and share before the November 2 arraignment.
Eric, I Love Every Dog
