Man Arrested For Alleged Acts Of Animal Cruelty On Dog Discovered Near Death Last July 4
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Authorities on Friday announced the arrest of a suspect in a case of animal cruelty that dated back to last July 4.
On that holiday, around 6:45 p.m. a Latino was observed pulling a seriously injured dog from the bed of his truck and leaving the animal in an alley to die.
A Good Samaritan walking by took the dog home in an attempt to nurse it back to health
The woman took the dog to an animal shelter the next day for further treatment.
An examination of the dog revealed he had sustained cuts and abrasions and burns on both side of his chest, his rear legs, and all four paws. The dog was also severely dehydrated.
Officials said the dog spent four days at the shelter recuperating and taking antibiotics and pain killers to deal with pain management.
On July 9, 2013, the New Hope Rescue Team picked up the dog and named him "Indy", because he was found on Independence Day.
Indy was later transported to the Westlake Village Animal Hospital and has received seven months of extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation. He was subsequently adopted and is currently being trained to be a therapy dog.
The Los Angeles Police Department Animal Cruelty Task Force (ACTF) began an investigation. After obtaining video of the alleged involved truck, a media release was sent out asking for the public's help in locating the distinctive looking truck. The truck was eventually located and held as evidence. As the investigation continued, a suspect was positively identified by witnesses as 41-year-old Carlos Duarte.
The case was submitted to the District Attorney's Office for filing consideration and one count of felony animal cruelty was charged against Duarte.
Duarte was arrested Thursday and bail was set at $30,000.
The ACTF was established in 2005 and consists of personnel from the Los Angeles Police Department and the Department of Animal Services. This partnership facilitates a comprehensive approach to the prevention, intervention, detection, and prosecution of acts of animal cruelty. The success of ACTF is achieved through the investigative expertise of the task force members, the use of veterinary forensics, and the prosecution efforts of the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
The City of Los Angeles aggressively investigates and prosecutes acts of animal cruelty acknowledging the link between people who commit acts against animals escalating to acts of cruelty against humans.
RELATED STORY:
Police Search For Suspect Who Left Dog For Dead In North Hollywood Alley
