Case Details
Case Snapshot
Case ID: 12381
Classification: Mutilation/Torture
Animal: dog (pit-bull)
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Puppy's ears cut off with scissors
Las Cruces, NM (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, Oct 2, 2007
County: Dona Ana

Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted

Defendants/Suspects:
» Antonio Rangel - Acquitted
» Ignacio Martinez

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

Two Dona Ana County men have been arrested for attempting to cut a puppy's ears with a pair of scissors.

The Dona Ana County Sheriff's Department said that Antonio Rangel and Ignacio Martinez, ages unknown, were arrested Tuesday afternoon and charged with one count each of animal cruelty and one count of conspiracy.

The two men allegedly had agreed to have the approximately eight-week-old puppy's ears cut, a common practice with some breeds of dog.

According to sheriff's investigators, Rangel allegedly held the puppy down while Martinez cut the ears. The two men allegedly attempted to stop the bleeding by applying water and dirt to the ears.

The two men never took the puppy to a veterinarian for treatment, the sheriff's department said. When the puppy was taken to a veterinarian by investigators who were informed that the ears had become infected and the puppy most likely suffered tremendously during and after the incident.

Rangel and Martinez are being held at the Do�a Ana County Detention Center on $25,000 bond each.


Case Updates

A state jury on Thursday acquitted a man of allegedly taking part in cutting a pit bull puppy's ears with scissors.

Antonio Rangel, 21, was facing two fourth-degree felony counts - extreme animal cruelty and conspiracy.

Rangel was acquitted of both charges, District Attorney Susana Martinez said. The jury then considered a lesser charge of misdemeanor animal cruelty, but could not reach a decision, she added.

The jury also considered an misdemeanor cruelty charge in lieu of extreme cruelty, but could not reach a verdict.

Rangel's attorney, Francisco Ortiz of Las Cruces, could not be reached Monday.

The case originated with the discovery of the puppy last Sept. 23.

According to court records, the puppy was discovered when a Las Cruces Animal Control officer went to a home at the 8500 block of Diamond Circle, east of Las Cruces, to locate a person whose dog was suspected of biting a person in Las Cruces.

When the officer knocked on the door, the puppy came out and the officer noticed the missing ears.

According to the documents, Rangel, the puppy's then owner, told investigators that he and Ignacio Martinez, 19, had talked about cutting the puppy's ears. The pit bull, Rangel and Martinez said, was held down and its ears were cut with a pair of old, chrome scissors.

Martinez did the cutting, while Rangel held the dog down. Martinez has since pleaded guilty to two felony counts. He has not been sentenced.

The puppy is now in the care of a New Mexico State University Police officer.
Source: Las Cruces Sun - June 24, 2008
Update posted on Jun 24, 2008 - 3:14PM 
A Dona Ana County grand jury has indicted two men accused of using scissors to cut off the ears of an 8-week-old pit bull puppy.

Twenty-year-old Antonio Rangel and 18-year-old Ignacio Martinez, both of Dona Ana County, are charged with extreme animal cruelty and conspiracy to commit extreme animal cruelty.

A criminal complaint says the puppy was discovered when a Las Cruces animal control officer went to a home east of the city to find a person whose dog was suspected of biting someone in Las Cruces.

When the officer knocked on the door, the puppy came out and the officer noticed the missing ears.

Authorities suspect the puppy's ears were cut for cosmetic reasons.

Officials say the puppy likely will be adopted by a Dona Ana County Sheriff's Department staffer.
Source: KFDA - Oct 14, 2007
Update posted on Oct 14, 2007 - 4:29PM 

References

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