Two dogs starved to death Twain Harte, CA (US) Incident Date: Friday, Jan 13, 2006 County: Tuolumne Local Map: available Disposition: Convicted Abuser/Suspect: Everett Raymond DeLeon III Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Case ID: 8328 Classification: Neglect / Abandonment Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in CA (US) Login to Watch this Case

A Twain Harte man who starved his two dogs to death was to be sentenced yesterday, May 2, 2006, to a year in the county jail. But Everett Raymond DeLeon III, 29, failed to show up for his sentencing in Tuolumne County Superior Court yesterday and a judge has issued a warrant for his arrest.

DeLeon pleaded guilty in March to one count of felony animal cruelty in a plea bargain agreement. Had he been convicted as charged with two counts, he faced three years in prison and a $20,000 fine. DeLeon was arrested on Jan. 13, when Tuolumne County Animal Control Officer Terry Elam and a sheriff's deputy found the dead dogs chained inside a kennel in the backyard of DeLeon's rental house on Golf Club Drive. There was no food or water inside the kennel even though there was dog food inside DeLeon's house.

Elam said in court records that based on statements from DeLeon, a neighbor, and veterinarian who examined the dogs bodies, it appears that prior to their death, neither dog had been fed for at least two weeks and probably longer.

One dog, Rosemary, a 2-year-old Labrador mix, had moved a concrete block and dug under the fence she was chained to in an effort to reach a water bowl filled with rainwater. The bowl was too far away for her to reach however, and her body was found under the fence.

A veterinarian who examined the dogs' bodies said they were devoid of fat and had lost 40 to 50 percent of their normal body weights, based on their breeds.

Since his arrest, DeLeon has been free on $10,000 bail. When he failed to show up for court yesterday, Tuolumne County Superior Court Judge Eric DuTemple issued a no-bail warrant for DeLeon's arrest.

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References

Union Democrat - May 2, 2006

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