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Case #16890 Rating: 2.1 out of 5
Tuesday, Nov 16, 2010
County: Orange
Charges: Felony CTA, Felony Non-CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 1 files available
Defendant/Suspect: Michael Stuart Patterson
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
A man accused of attacking a neighbor's dog with a metal rake after becoming upset over the German shepherd's barking entered a plea of not guilty in court, officials said.
Michael Stuart Patterson, 51, was charged with first-degree residential burglary and one felony count of animal cruelty, prosecutors said.
Patterson was taken into custody Wednesday in Huntington Beach after, sheriff officials said, he broke into a neighbor's home and beat a 5-year-old German shepherd with a metal rake.
Officials said Patterson became angry over the dog's barking. When he went to confront the owner, officials said, he attacked the dog instead.
The dog, Honey, suffered several puncture wounds to the head and the body. According to prosecutors, the dog also suffered loss of vision.
"I'm going to kill you, and I'm going to kill your dog," neighbor Phillip De Labio said he heard Patterson yelling as he was knocking on his neighbor's door.
The owner, Bill Daly, brought the dog back to his home Thursday afternoon, where he said she was recuperating from surgery.
"Why would he do something like this?" Daly said. "If he doesn't' want to confront me personally, he can put a note on my door."
Daly said he adopted Honey in April after seeing an ad on Craigslist. He said he knows Honey barks a lot, but he had not received complaints about it.
Mission Viejo animal services said they never received a complaint about a barking dog at Daly's address.
Sheriff officials responded to the 26300 block of Via Logrono at 1 p.m. Tuesday after receiving a 911 call from a neighbor. Honey was found inside the home, officials said, bleeding in a bathtub.
If convicted, the Mission Viejo man could face a maximum sentence of six years and eight months in state prison.
According to sheriff records, he is in custody in lieu of $52,500 bail.
Case Updates
A Mission Viejo man pleaded guilty Thursday to attacking a neighbor's dog with a rake after authorities say he was angered by the animal's frequent barking.
Michael Stuart Patterson, 51, was sentenced to 180 days in jail and three years probation and was ordered to pay restitution after pleading guilty to felony counts of first-degree burglary and cruelty to animals, according to Orange County Superior Court records.
Authorities accused Patterson of breaking into his neighbor's home while he was gone and using a rake to beat a German shepherd named Honey. A neighbor reported hearing Patterson yell "Die, dog, die!"
Hearing the commotion, a neighbor wrote down Patterson's license plate number and called police. The dog was found bleeding in a bathtub, suffering from severe puncture wounds that resulted in the loss of an eye.
Authorities believe Patterson was angered that the 5-year-old dog often barked when the neighbor was gone.
A court hearing has been set for Oct. 13 to determine how much restitution Patterson will pay, according to court records. |
Source: ocregister.com - Jul 21, 2011
Update posted on Jul 25, 2011 - 11:23PM |
An arrest warrant has been issued for a Mission Viejo manâ€"charged with attacking a neighbor's dogâ€"who failed to show up for court, according to court records.
Michael Stuart Patterson, 51, was supposed to show up in court Tuesday but failed to appear, so he was given a second chance to come to court Thursday or an arrest warrant would be issued, according to Farrah Emami of the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
Patterson pleaded not guilty Nov. 18 to charges of first-degree residential burglary and animal cruelty, both felonies.
Patterson is accused of kicking open the front door of his neighbor's home Nov. 16 when he wasn't there, found the dog, named Honey, and attacked her with a yard rake on the back patio, Emami said.
Patterson was apparently angry that Honey would bark frequently when her owner wasn't home, Emami said.
Honey suffered puncture wounds on her face and lost an eye, Emami said.
Another neighbor who heard the commotion wrote down the license plate number of the alleged attacker and called the sheriff's department, Emami said.
Patterson posted $50,000 bail Dec. 30. He could face up to six years and eight months in prison if convicted. |
Source: missionviejo.patch.com - May 6, 2011
Update posted on May 8, 2011 - 1:24PM |
References
« CA State Animal Cruelty Map
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