Tag Archive for: Animal Abuse

New Animal Cruelty Case Filed

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said today that in the latest of a string of animal cruelty prosecutions by her office involving dogs, Osvaldo Deleon, 61, has been charged with one count of felony animal abuse and neglect for failing to seek medical attention for his dog’s severely injured leg. The dog’s leg had an open wound with exposed bone when officials with the county’s Department of Animal Services (DAS) encountered it. The dog was taken into a veterinarian’s care and ultimately his leg had to be amputated.

Deleon was arraigned on Monday in San Diego Superior Court and pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he faces a sentencing range of probation up to three years in custody.

“Our office is committed to holding people accountable for all forms of animal abuse, cruelty and neglect,” said DA Stephan. “We are determined to be a voice for animals who are mistreated and to deliver justice on their behalf. We’re constantly working with our law enforcement partners to identify and confirm potential abuse, especially when alerted to it by the community, and to prevent such abuse from occurring in the first place.”

In the past year, the District Attorney’s Office has filed animal cruelty-related charges against more than 55 defendants.

In December of last year, 61-year-old Todd Schuster was convicted of one count of felony animal cruelty and sentenced to two years in jail for viciously kicking a dog during a road rage incident and then running over the animal with his vehicle, killing it.

Previous animal cruelty-related prosecutions have included an elderly couple who hoarded 92 Yorkshire Terrier and Yorkie-mix dogs in a feces-filled home in Poway and a 31-year-old Oceanside resident who received an eight-year prison sentence for torturing and killing at least 10 cats. The defendant adopted the cats from the San Diego Humane Society and through Craigslist, subjecting them to severe abuse. The case is known as one of the most severe instances of recent animal cruelty in the county.

And in a case that’s currently pending, defendant Debra Barkley, 68, has been charged with three misdemeanor counts for allowing her aggressive dogs to constantly run off her property and frighten neighbors. DAS documented 15 separate incidents involving the defendant’s dogs over a two-year period, including at least one where a dog bit someone. Barkley failed to allow property inspections, secure liability insurance, register dogs as dangerous, and post “beware of dogs” signs. Barkley has a readiness hearing scheduled for tomorrow, March 28, in North County.

Other cases filed in the past year include a defendant who brutally killed the family chihuahua after becoming upset with his wife and children, an elderly couple hoarding 33 animals in their home, and a defendant who beat a nine-week-old puppy to death after becoming upset with the puppy’s behavior.

In 2018, the DA launched the office’s first-ever Animal Cruelty Prosecution Unit, which provides prosecutorial consistency countywide, investigative support and dedicated expertise for animal abuse cases. Since there is a strong link between animal abuse and violent crimes against people – particularly children and domestic violence – the unit resides within the DA’s Family Protection Division. The unit works closely with police, Sheriff’s deputies, DAS, animal control officers, the San Diego Humane Society, and others to investigate and prosecute animal cruelty cases vertically (one prosecutor handling the case from beginning to end.)

To report suspected animal abuse in San Diego County, you can contact the following agencies depending on the location and type of incident:

  • San Diego Humane Society – They handle animal cruelty investigations in most of San Diego County, including the cities of San Diego, Escondido, Imperial Beach, Poway, Santee, and others.
  • County of San Diego Department of Animal Services – Covers unincorporated areas and certain contract cities.
  • Local Law Enforcement – If an animal is in immediate danger, call 911 or your local police department.

The Osvaldo Deleon case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Maura Duffey.

Photo of gavel, law books and scales of justice on a wooden table.

Woman Charged for Allowing Aggressive Dogs to Roam North County Neighborhood

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said today that her office has filed criminal charges against a north county woman stemming from an investigation being conducted by the county’s Department of Animal Services. Debra Barkley, 68, has been charged with maintaining a public nuisance, as well as maintaining a public nuisance after being notified in writing by officials to remedy it. The charges stem from more than a dozen complaints by neighbors in Rancho Santa Fe that the defendant’s dogs are routinely allowed to escape her property unsupervised and are aggressive to community members, including children.

Barkley was arraigned on Monday and pleaded not guilty. Her next court date is a readiness hearing set for December 4 at 8:30 a.m. in Department 1 of the Superior Court in North County. Both charges are misdemeanor counts which carry a potential $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail.

“People deserve to feel safe in their own neighborhood and working with our investigative partners at the county, we determined the situation warranted misdemeanor criminal charges based on community feedback, the facts and the evidence,” said DA Stephan. “This case is being handled by the unit in our office that’s been established to focus on animal cruelty cases, protect animals in our county from abuse, and hold those who would commit such offenses accountable.”

There have also been complaints from the community that Barkley may have committed other animal neglect-related offenses related to horses that she maintains on a separate property.  Every report of potential animal abuse is taken seriously and is investigated by the Department of Animal Services, and where the evidence supports it, is reviewed by the DA’s Office for criminal charges.  While the charges filed in this case relate to dogs and not horses maintained by Barkley, the charges allow for a court to order enhanced supervision and monitoring that can ultimately result in the protection of animals on all of Ms. Barkley’s properties.

In 2018, DA Stephan launched the office’s first-ever formalized Animal Cruelty Prosecution Unit, which provides prosecutorial consistency countywide, investigative support and dedicated expertise for animal abuse cases. The unit works closely with police, Sheriff’s deputies, Department of Animal Services, animal control officers, the San Diego Humane Society, and others to investigate and prosecute animal cruelty cases vertically (one prosecutor handling the case from beginning to end.)

Since being established, the Unit has filed 368 criminal cases related to animal cruelty. One recent high-profile prosecution focused on a man who was sentenced in March of this year to eight years in state prison for torturing and killing at least 10 cats in Escondido. In another recent case, a defendant repeatedly kicked a stranger’s dog and then got into his car and ran over the dog, killing it.

Deputy District Attorney Eric Bodnar is prosecuting this case.

Photo of gavel and scales of justice.

Oceanside Man Sentenced to Prison for Animal Cruelty

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced today that a 31-year-old Oceanside man was sentenced to eight years in prison for torturing and killing at least 10 cats that he adopted from the San Diego Humane Society and Craigslist.

Joshua Boyer, who had previously been ordered to stand trial, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of animal cruelty on August 2, 2023.

“This was an egregious and extremely disturbing case of animal abuse,” DA Stephan said. “Our specialized Animal Cruelty Unit brings its expertise working with other agencies in order to investigate and prosecute these difficult cases and bring justice to those can’t speak for themselves. Let this case be a warning that those who abuse animals will be held accountable.”

To report animal abuse, call 619-299-7012.

To report domestic violence, call 1-800-DV-LINKS

On May 24, 2019, a GPS tracker on a cat who was reported missing led to the discovery of 10 deceased animals, and other partial remains, on Joshua Boyer’s family property. Humane Society Officers seized more than 125 pieces of evidence, including firearms and tools to inflict harm, that linked Boyer’s fingerprints and DNA to the feline victims.

This case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Eva Kilamyan, who works in the DA’s Animal Cruelty Unit. Specialty units provide countywide, prosecutorial and investigative support along with dedicated expertise. This case included collaboration between multiple law enforcement agencies, including Escondido Police, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, and the FBI.