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Case ID: 14388

Classification: Neglect / Abandonment

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

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Dog dies in stolen car
Riverside, CA (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Aug 16, 2008
County: Riverside

Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged:
» Michael Juan Deharo
» Gabriela Adela Briones

Case Updates: 3 update(s) available

Mary Michael her husband, Craig, were visiting Riverside National Cemetery on Saturday. Rebel, a wolf-malamute mix who was unable to walk because of hip dysplasia, stayed in the car. The Michaels left the engine running and the air conditioning on for her comfort. They were less than 20 feet from the car, Craig Michael said, when he realized it was moving.

"I couldn't get there in time," said Michael, 63.

He said a woman with blond hair was behind the wheel of the couple's Ford Excursion. A man in his late 20s, who was apparently with her, drove off in a faded mint green compact car, he said.

Sheriff's deputies put out a description of the Michaels' car, but it wasn't located until Sunday afternoon. By then, it was too late for Rebel.

"They didn't give the dog any water," Michael said. "They just walked away and took the keys with them."

They left the car windows rolled up. Daytime temperatures neared 100. When deputies found the car, Rebel was dead.

The Michaels were notified. But by the time they arrived at the scene, animal control officials had removed the dog.

"We're going to pick her body up tomorrow," Michael said Sunday night.

Sheriff's investigators examined the Michaels' car.

"They pulled a lot of prints," he said. "Hopefully they're not all mine."

Sheriff's spokesman Jerry Franchville, said investigators do not yet have any leads. The vehicle theft and description of the car thieves does not fit with any other similar incidents, he said.

If caught, he said, they would face not only felony charges for vehicle theft -- contents from inside the car were stolen as well -- but also felony animal cruelty charges.

Michael said he and his wife were horrified by the callousness of the thieves.

"That is one of the most cowardly acts I can imagine," he said. "She was my wife's heart and soul for 16 years."

Case Updates

With trembling hands and tears in her eyes, Mary Michael clutched tightly several photos of her dog, Rebel, who died after car thieves left her in a locked, hot vehicle and refused to help.

Michael called for justice as a woman charged with the Aug. 16 vehicle theft and the dog's death was arraigned Tuesday in Riverside Superior Court.

Another suspect was arraigned last week.

"We are hoping that these cowardly and heartless people will get the maximum penalty allowed by the law, and that Rebel will get justice for all that she needlessly went through," Michael said at a news conference from the front of the courthouse.

The photos showed the white wolf-malamute mix back when she was a puppy purchased 16 years ago in Mission Viejo to just weeks before she died.

Rebel was inside the Michaels' Ford Excursion, which was stolen at Riverside National Cemetery on Aug. 16. The couple were standing several feet away when a woman slipped inside the Excursion, with its engine running to provide air-conditioning for Rebel, and drove off.

Authorities found the vehicle the following evening in Moreno Valley with the windows rolled up. Rebel, who weighed 75 pounds and had hip dysplasia, was dead in the back seat from heat exhaustion.

"She's in my heart, and she'll always be there," said Michael, with her husband, Craig, close by.

Prosecutors and Riverside County sheriff's deputies identified three suspects in their investigation.

Sheriff's deputies say a man and woman in a second vehicle pulled up to the Excursion about 2:30 p.m. while the Michaels were visiting the cemetery. The woman, identified as 31-year-old Gabriela Adela Briones, drove off with the Michaels' sports utility vehicle, according to Superior Court documents.

Mary Michael's purse and cell phone were also in the vehicle.

Briones reportedly confessed to taking the Excursion and parking it in Moreno Valley during an Aug. 25 interview with a Riverside County sheriff's deputy at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, according to a search warrant declaration written by sheriff's Cpl. Christopher Porrazo.

Michael Juan Deharo, 27, is suspected of driving the vehicle that dropped off Briones at the location.

A third man, Rhett Hermanson, 18, is accused of depositing personal checks from Mary Michael's checking account into his own account.

Briones pleaded not guilty to charges of vehicle theft, receiving stolen property and animal cruelty at her arraignment Tuesday morning. Deharo was arraigned Aug. 29 on charges of vehicle theft and receiving stolen property.

Hermanson faces one count of using a fictitious bank note, in a case separate from Briones and Deharo.

The Michaels also hope to change a policy that did not allow them to have their cell-phone provider track Mary Michael's own phone using GPS equipment without a signed warrant.

Source: Daily Bulletin - Sept 2, 2008
Update posted on Sep 3, 2008 - 9:39AM

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On August 16, 2008, Riverside County Sheriff�s deputies were contacted by a couple who had their vehicle stolen from the Riverside National Cemetery in Woodcrest. They left their vehicle running with the air conditioner on for the comfort of their 16 year old dog, who was suffering from hip dysplasia.

A Hispanic female was dropped off by a Hispanic male driving a silver Toyota Corolla. The female got into the victim�s SUV and drove away with the dog still inside.

The victim�s vehicle was found on August 17, 2008, in Moreno Valley. Tragically, Rebel, the victim�s family pet was found deceased. Stolen from the SUV was also a check book and a cell phone.

Corporal Porrazzo began an investigation to identify the suspects and tracked their movements.

Corporal Porrazzo arrested Rhett Hermanson (18) for cashing the victim�s stolen checks. Hermanson was also charged with being a felon with possession of a handgun. The victim�s purse was recovered and returned to the victim.

On August 25, 2008, Corporal Porrazzo identified Gabriela Briones (31) as the female that stole the victim�s SUV. She was charged with felony animal cruelty, felony vehicle theft and forgery. She is currently in a San Bernardino jail, but will be transported back to Riverside County jail to face her local charges.

On August 25, 2008, Corporal Porrazzo identified the other male driver as Michael Deharo (27). Deharo is a transient suspect living somewhere in Corona. He is still driving his silver Toyota Corolla (Ca. 6EWR876). An arrest warrant was issued for him, charging him with felony animal cruelty and felony vehicle theft.

Michael Deharo is described as a Hispanic male, 27 years old, 5′10″ in height, weighing 170 pounds, with short black hair.

The Riverside County Sheriff�s Department is asking for the public�s help in locating Michael Deharo. Anyone locating him can contact local law enforcement or Riverside County Sheriff�s Dispatch at (951) 776-1099.

If anyone has any information regarding this investigation, they are asked to contact Corporal Porrazzo at (951) 210-1000 or Sheriff�s Dispatch at (951) 776-1099.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY SHERIFF�S DEPARTMENT
Perris Station

PRESS RELEASE
Date/Time Written: August 26, 2008
Type of Incident: Felony Animal Cruelty and Felony Vehicle Theft
Date/Time of Incident: August 16, 2008
Location of Incident: Riverside National Cemetery Woodcrest
Reporting Officer: Sergeant Scott Brown #1347
File Number: PC 08 229 072

Source: Riverside County Sheriff Press Release
Update posted on Aug 27, 2008 - 10:57AM

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A woman who stole a couple's sport utility vehicle at a cemetery and later abandoned it, leaving the owners' crippled dog inside to die in sweltering heat, remained at large Monday.

�We found the vehicle unlocked, the windows rolled up, and on the backseat was the dead dog,� said Riverside County sheriff's Investigator Jerry Franchville.

On Saturday afternoon, Craig and Mary Michael, both in their 60s, were visiting Riverside National Cemetery to pay tribute to veterans on V-J Day.

The Hemet couple parked their Ford Excursion and left it idling to run the air conditioner for their 16-year-old wolf-malamute mix, Rebel, who suffered from hip dysplasia. They told a newspaper they were less than 20 feet from the vehicle when a woman got behind the wheel and drove off.

Franchville said the blonde-haired suspect was apparently dropped at the location by an unknown man driving a green car, but no other details were immediately available.

According to Franchville, the Michaels' Excursion was found around 4:30 p.m. Sunday near the corner of Edgemont Street and Bay Avenue in Moreno Valley, roughly three miles from where it was taken.

�There was an empty water bowl inside,� Franchville said.

Daytime temperatures in the area were in the mid-90s Sunday, according to weather reports.

It's not known how long Rebel survived after the car thief abandoned the SUV.

�They didn't give the dog any water,� Craig Michael said. �They just walked away and took the keys with them.� Franchville said there have not been any reports in the last year of auto thefts at the National Cemetery, which falls under sheriff's department jurisdiction because it lies just outside the Riverside city boundaries.

If the thief is caught, she could face animal cruelty charges, in addition to grand theft auto, Franchville said.

Anyone with information was encouraged to contact the sheriff's department's Perris station at (951) 210-1000.

Source: San Diego Union Tribune - Aug 18, 2008
Update posted on Aug 18, 2008 - 9:44PM

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References

Press-Enterprise - Aug 18, 2008

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Dog dies in stolen carRiverside, CA (US)

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Dog dies in stolen car
Riverside, CA (US)