Case Details

Puppy mill - 7 pit-bulls seized
Long Beach, CA (US)

Incident Date: Monday, Jan 31, 2005
County: Los Angeles
Local Map: available
Disposition: Convicted

Abuser/Suspect: Tony Matthews

Case ID: 4998
Classification: Neglect / Abandonment
Animal: dog (pit-bull)
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A 43-year-old Long Beach man has been sentenced to six months in jail after investigators found him illegally breeding pit bulls in his home, where he kept the canines quartered in a room filled with the dogs' own urine and feces.

Tony Matthews was convicted of 17 counts of animal neglect for allegedly housing seven pit bulls in cramped, unsanitary conditions inside his home in the 1200 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, said Long Beach City Prosecutor Spokesman Noel Hacegaba.

The seven dogs were taken from the home in mid-February, after Long Beach Animal Control officers received a tip of possible animal cruelty at the location. At the time, the dogs were suffering from various health problems related to the excessive waste they were living in, Hacegaba said.

Matthews was convicted following a jury trial in Long Beach handled by City Prosecutor Shannon Weizorek.

"This is a serious sentence for a serious crime," Hacegaba said. "The conditions under which these dogs were living were pretty egregious."

Matthews had been cited numerous times in recent years for various animal care violations, and he has been barred from owning canines for the next five years as part of his punishment, Hacegaba said.

His sentencing also included 30 days of Caltrans roadside work, five years of summary probation, mandatory counseling and financial restitution to Animal Control.

The seven pit bulls are being held by Animal Control awaiting adoption, and one has recently been adopted by a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy, said Animal Control Lt. Michelle Quigley.

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