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Case #9517 Rating: 2.0 out of 5
Pit bull puppy's ears cut off with scissors
Albuquerque, NM (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Aug 22, 2006
County: Bernalillo
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects:
» Jonas High - Not Charged
» Anita Willis
» Robertson Johnson
» Anderson Begay - Alleged
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
The screams of a 3-month-old pit bull drew the attention of a neighbor who led police to the puppy and an unregistered sex offender. The puppy's ears were cut off on Aug 22 with a pair of kitchen scissors.
The dog was taken into custody by city animal control officers. Albuquerque police took into custody Jonas High, 43, on an outstanding warrant of failing to register as a sex offender.
No charges have been filed yet in the ear-cropping incident, but High, two other men and a woman could also face charges of extreme cruelty to animals.
According to an Albuquerque police report, High shares an apartment in the 7900 block of Marquette Avenue Northeast with his sister, Anita Willis, and her 10-year-old son, who brought the puppy home last weekend.
On Tuesday, Willis, High and two visiting friends, Robertson Johnson and Anderson Begay, had discussed the young dog and decided that Johnson and Begay should dock the puppy's ears.
High, who is listed as an American Indian in Metro Court documents, originally accepted responsibility for the act, but later recanted. In separate interviews, Johnson and Willis told police that "cropping" a pit bull's ears "in this fashion was traditional on the reservation," according to the report.
On the front porch of the apartment, without anesthesia or surgical instruments, Begay held down the dog while Johnson snipped its ears, according to the report.
The American Veterinary Association Web site says that ear cropping is not condoned and should only be done by veterinarians and only under anesthesia because the procedure causes pain and distress and can have serious complications.
Police spokesman John Walsh said officers are preparing a case of extreme cruelty to animals to give to the District Attorney's Office to present before a grand jury.
He said just because High and the three other adults at the apartment were not immediately arrested does not mean the department does not take animal cruelty seriously.
"It's not a lesser thing not to arrest someone," Walsh said.
Police did arrest Jorge Castelo, 22, in April after a neighbor reported seeing his adult pit bull dog with infected, bloody ears.
At the time, detectives found the dog's ears chopped off and a pair of bloody scissors in the garage. Castelo told police it was a way to cure the dog's illness.
Case UpdatesA Bernalillo County man Thursday morning pleaded guilty to cutting the ears off of a pit bull puppy in August of 2006.
Robertson Johnson's plea to extreme animal cruelty could net him 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White adopted the pup, who he named Trixie.
"I've been watching this case very closely, pushing hard, not just because it's my dog, but because animal cruelty is a huge problem in New Mexico," White said.
"Anything you can do to shed light on the fact that you will be held accountable if you do something like this man did," White added.
Two other people were charged with being involved in the mutilation. Anita Willis pleaded guilty and received one year of probation. Willis' husband, Anderson Begay, is awaiting trial. | Source: KOB.com - Feb 12, 2009
Update posted on Feb 12, 2009 - 4:07PM |
She looked dazed and uncharacteristically calm for a 3-month-old puppy. She can't know that she's hit the lottery by being taken away from the people who cut her ears.
At a news conference, Mayor Martin Chavez and Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White both held Trixie as they announced that four people would face charges of extreme animal cruelty.
They also announced that Trixie will have new parents, once she's released from the city's animal shelter where she's been held since a neighbor alerted police after hearing Trixie's screams earlier this week.
The penalty for being found guilty of extreme animal cruelty is up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine.
"It should be a death penalty offense," said a visibly angered White - Trixie's new human father.
Named by White's wife, Jennifer, Trixie moved into the White household Friday. The Whites have already spent $200 on pet accessories.
The four people facing charges are Anita Willis, who brought Trixie home last weekend, her brother, Jonas High, and two friends, Robertson Johnson and Anderson Begay.
According to a police report, the four decided that the puppy's ears should be "docked."
On the front porch of Willis' apartment, without anesthesia or surgical instruments, Begay held down the dog while Johnson snipped its ears, according to the police report.
High was the only one arrested as police discovered he's an unregistered sex offender. He'll face that charge in Arizona before returning here on the animal cruelty charge.
White said he, his wife and a vet considered reconstructive surgery on Trixie's ears but decided against it because "she had been though so much trauma already." | Source: KSHB - Aug 24, 2006
Update posted on Aug 31, 2006 - 3:47PM |
References
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