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Case #1571 Rating: 3.6 out of 5
Eight puppies found stabbed, shot and left to die
Eureka, CA (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Jun 24, 2003
County: Humboldt
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects:
» Paul Curtright
» Adam Curtright
Case Updates: 4 update(s) available
An animal abuse case had a small silver lining as one of eight puppies stabbed, shot and left to die apparently will survive thanks to a passing jogger. Blue Lake City Councilman Sherman Schapiro was running before Tuesday's City Council meeting when he heard a noise in some bushes and stopped.
He found what he thought was a litter of eight puppies, all of which had been brutally killed. "There was blood everywhere around the puppies," Schapiro said.
He said he was late for the meeting, but returned to the site afterward to retrieve the animals for burial. He found then that one of the pups had crawled a short distance away and was still alive.
He took all the puppies to a Eureka veterinary hospital, where Dr. Joy Beaudet performed emergency surgery on the survivor. Investigators said some of the 6-week-old puppies had been shot; others had their throats cut. At least one had its skull crushed.
The survivor, a female now named Lucky, has a rear leg shattered by a bullet, but veterinarians believe it will survive. Schapiro said he thought about adopting the puppy himself. "But I already have two dogs," he said.
Case UpdatesOn Monday, Paul Curtright was sentenced by Judge Christopher Wilson to 3 years' misdemeanor probation after being charged with animal neglect, a misdemeanor.
Paul and his brother Adam were accused of killing eight puppies and wounding a ninth on June 24.
Paul -- the owner of the puppies' mother Stout, who was found to have been neglected -- was out of town when the puppies were killed. Adam was convicted of killing the puppies and was charged with felony animal abuse.
Paul's probation comes with conditions, including he must obey all laws, complete 100 hours of community service, in addition to the 100 days he already spent in Humboldt County jail, and that he may not own any pets, including Stout, during his probation period.
Adam is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 23, at which time Wilson said he will decide where Stout, currently residing at the Sequoia Humane Society, will be placed. | Source: The Eureka Reporter - Feb 3, 2004
Update posted on Feb 15, 2007 - 1:59AM |
Superior Court Judge Michael Brown yesterday said there's enough evidence to try Adam Curtright of McKinleyville and Paul Curtright of Arcata.
Only one prosecution witness and one defense witness were called to testify.
Blue Lake Police Chief Dave Gundersen testified that Blue Lake City Councilman Sherman Schapiro found the dogs while jogging on the evening of June 24th. Gundersen said he was contacted by Schapiro the following morning and the investigation began.
Tips led police to the trailer of Paul Curtright, and later investigation led to his brother and a collection of weapons allegedly used to dispatch the pups.
The two are due back in court August fifth. If convicted of all counts, the brothers could spend more than five years in prison. | | Update posted on Jul 27, 2003 - 9:54AM |
The preliminary hearing was postponed in Superior Court on Wednesday.
Kevin Robinson, attorney for Adam Curtright, 23, McKinleyville, said he was involved in a jury trial that was about to start and there were no other attorney's available from his office.
Assistant Public Defender Alan Mason, who is representing Paul Curtright, 27, Arcata, objected to the continuance and said his client was ready to go.
Superior Court Judge Dale Reinholtsen decided to continue the hearing until Tuesday, when Robinson's trial is expected to be finished.
The brothers face eight felony counts of cruelty to animals apiece and could spend more than five years in prison if convicted on all counts. The two men remain in custody at the county jail.
Read More: The Times Standard | | Update posted on Jul 19, 2003 - 12:52PM |
Felony animal cruelty charges have been officially filed against the two men accused of killing eight puppies and badly wounding a ninth.
Paul Curtright, 27, and Adam Curtright, 23, both face a felony count for each dog killed or injured, the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.
The elder Curtright also faces a misdemeanor drug paraphernalia charge based on evidence discovered by the Blue Lake Police Department.
If convicted on all counts, each could be sentenced to more than five years in prison.
Both men were arrested Monday after tips from anonymous callers pointed to the men as suspects. They are accused of shooting, beating and slicing the throats of nine puppies.
The likely mother of the litter, "Stout," was apparently discovered in Paul Curtright's home, looking thin but otherwise doing well. | | Update posted on Jul 3, 2003 - 9:46PM |
References« CA State Animal Cruelty Map
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