Show Cracking down dow on animal cruelty Jack Leonard Los Angeles Times Furious that his girlfriend d had broken up with him and stopped taking his calls Steven Butcher decided to take his anger out on the couples couple's puppy Every time you dont don't pick up the phone I am beating the dog Butcher said in a voicemail voicemail voicemail voice- voice mail message he left for his ex In a later message as the dog yelped in the background he said You got some more of the dog getting beat When police officers arrived at Butchers Butcher's suburban Los Angeles home they found Nelia the pit bull puppy shivering in a sink with cold water running over her The animals animal's jaw had been broken her eye sockets had been fractured and several ribs had been cracked Butcher 23 was charged and convicted last year of animal cruelty one of a growing number of serious animal abuse cases in Los Angeles where police and prosecutors say they are taking crimes against animals more seriously than ever For four years the Los Angeles Police Department has devoted five officers and I detectives to a task force dedicated to investigating I I I animal abuse and neglect The Los Angeles County district attorneys attorney's office recently began training a select group of prosecutors to handle related animal-related cases and is seeking tougher sentences for repeat offenders As LAs a society were we're just less tolerant of unnecessary and unjustified cruelty to animals said Dale Bartlett deputy manager of the animal cruelty and fighting campaign at the Humane Society of the United States In Los Angeles County records show that during the 12 months ending in August the district attorneys attorney's office filed animal cruelty charges in cases nearly 50 percent more than the previous year Last year prosecutors won a rare fighting dog-fighting trial against a year old nurse who was sentenced to three years in prison And in a separate case the first person they had ever charged with witha a felony for cockfighting was convicted Randall Lockwood an expert on animal abuse and anda a senior vice president at atthe atthe atthe the American Society forthe forthe for forthe the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said Los Angeles had adopted one of the more progressive approaches in the nation in dealing with crimes against animals Its something that's needed in more major cities he lie said The Los Angeles City Council created the Animal Cruelty Task Force in 2005 following a proposal by Councilman Tony Cardenas In backing the measure police department officials cited studies finding that animal abusers were often involved in other crimes such as drug trafficking child abuse and domestic violence Task force detectives said they have seen the connection for themselves In the case of Nelia the beaten puppy police said her owner also threatened to kill his girlfriend during some of his phone calls He was sentenced last year to days in jail for animal cruelty placed on five years' years probation and ordered to undergo counseling The puppy survived and was adopted when authorities suspected that Butchers Butcher's ex- ex girlfriend might reconcile with him police said The task force investigates nearly reports of animal abuse and neglect each year Its successes include 57 arrests for cockfighting and several arrests for deadly violence against animals In 2006 officers stopped Gene Speer when they noticed him walking along a Hollywood side street with blood all over his shirt Speer was carrying a backpack When officers looked in the bag they found a dead rat terrier that belonged to his roommate Speer 34 told police that the dog had bitten him and he he- had struck out in self But L Detective Susan Brumagin a member of the task force said officers found animal feces on the carpet and believed that Speer beat the dog to death with a shoe after the animal defecated He was sentenced to 16 months in prison None of the people we arrest think they could go goto goto goto to prison for hurting a dog or a cat Brumagin said They dont don't show remorse They're more shocked and surprised A former manager in the city's Department of Animal Services Deputy District Attorney Deborah offers advice to prosecutors about animal cases an and d organizes training programs for prosecutors and police officers on identifying signs sign s se of cruelty and neglect She e also has written a proposed propose d law that District Attorney y Steve Cooley is sponsoring g gf to ban people convicted of o f animal cruelty from owning g pets for up to life During a recent interview sat behind a des desk k adorned with a photo of herself cuddling three dogs Ziggy and Spice her two Jack Russell terriers and Elmo a Dachshund- Dachshund Chihuahua mix and spoke about the need to protect animals They cannot talk They cannot get away They're totally vulnerable she said Its our huge obligation to them to take care of them Last year filed felony cockfighting charges against Israel Ramirez marking the first time the district attorneys attorney's office had treated cockfighting as asa asa asa a felony since California lawmakers changed the law in 2006 to allow prosecutors to do so for repeat offenders Ramirez who had three prior convictions for related cockfighting-related offenses had been arrested at his home in South Los Angeles in the middle of what police said was a contest or Derby Day Officers seized about 50 roosters and numerous knives used to attach to the birds' birds spurs for fighting said Ramirez charged spectators 20 each to watch the fights and sold them sandwiches and beer It was a real moneymaking sporting event she said Ramirez was sentenced in January to days in jail and ordered to undergo a year of animal abuse counseling Last year prose prosecutors charged Jerome Woods 55 with fighting dog dog fighting for the third time in a decade In 1998 the former carpet layer spent one day in jail for dog In 2000 he was convicted again and incarcerated for 23 days Woods Woods' latest trouble came when the task force searched his south Los Angeles home and found 11 pit bulls all but one locked in link chain-link cages Several of the dogs bore scars on their heads and forelegs injuries consistent with fighting Police also found three treadmills commonly used to train fighting dogs and a spattered blood-spattered plywood enclosure used for fights Woods pleaded guilty in inJune inJune inJune June and was sentenced to five years in prison the longest sentence in a Los Angeles fighting dog-fighting case since prosecutors started keeping comprehensive records 12 years ago It lets other dog fighters dog fighters know that they're not going to get a slap on the wrist like Mr Woods did in inthe inthe inthe the past said We reflect society and society feels that it should be taken seriously |