John Olexa
11-04-2005, 08:04 PM
Orcutt, Calif.--- This morning, PETA sent an urgent plea to Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon, urging his office to vigorously prosecute Stephen Garrett Jr. and an unnamed 15-year-old male. Each faces charges stemming from an October 27 incident in which an Orcutt woman allegedly witnessed one of them stabbing her cocker spaniel, Rusty, to death while they attempted to rob her home at 1:30 a.m. Both of the accused were later reportedly found hiding in the front yard of another home a block away. “All I have are my dogs,” the woman told news sources; her husband was killed less than two months earlier in a car accident.
“Animal abusers are cowards,” says PETA Cruelty Caseworker Daniel Paden. “They take their issues out on the most defenseless beings available to them. Santa Barbara County residents have reason to be concerned. According to leading mental health professionals and law enforcement agencies, perpetrators of violent acts against animals are often repeat offenders who pose a serious threat not only to other animals but to the community as a whole.”
PETA is asking that¯if convicted and in addition to serving periods of incarceration or detention—Garrett and the teen be banned for life from all contact with animals, as is allowed by California law. In addition, PETA is asking that the pair be required to undergo thorough psychological evaluations followed by mandatory counseling.
PETA is also sending its anti-violence public service announcement hosted by actor Dennis Franz to TV stations serving the Santa Barbara County area.
For more information, please visit HelpingAnimals.com.
PETA’s letter to District Attorney Tom Sneddon follows.
November 2, 2005
The Honorable Tom Sneddon
District Attorney, Santa Barbara County
112 Santa Barbara St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Dear Mr. Sneddon:
We hope that this finds you well. This letter concerns another recent cruelty-to-animals case that your office is handling, involving Stephen Garrett Jr., 20, and an unnamed 15-year-old male codefendant, residences unreported. Each faces charges stemming from their alleged role in the reported October 27 fatal stabbing of an Orcutt woman’s dog, Rusty. The defendants evidently alarmed Rusty and five other dogs while reportedly attempting to burglarize the woman’s home. According to news sources, the defendants—who evidently alarmed Rusty and five other dogs while reportedly attempting to burglarize the woman’s home—assaulted Rusty. As the dog was returning inside, one of the accused allegedly reached his hand through a pet door and stabbed the cocker spaniel in his back and hind quarters, apparently inflicting fatal wounds.
Mental health professionals and top law enforcement officials consider cruelty to animals to be a red flag. The American Psychiatric Association identifies animal abuse as one of the diagnostic criteria for conduct disorders, and the FBI uses reports of cruelty to animals in analyzing the threat potential of suspected and known criminals. Experts agree that it is the severity of the behavior—not the species of the victim—that matters.
We ask that, if convicted and in addition to serving a period of incarceration or detention, the aforementioned defendants be required to undergo thorough psychological evaluations followed by mandatory counseling at their own expense¯the safety of the community may depend on it. Because repeat crimes are the rule rather than the exception among animal abusers and given the violent and malicious nature of their alleged actions that day, we implore you to take every measure necessary to ensure that both are banned for life from all contact with animals—as is allowed by state law—and to immediately seize any animals who may remain in their respective charges.
On behalf of our thousands of members in California, we thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Daniel Paden, Cruelty Caseworker
Domestic Animal and Wildlife Rescue & Information Department
“Animal abusers are cowards,” says PETA Cruelty Caseworker Daniel Paden. “They take their issues out on the most defenseless beings available to them. Santa Barbara County residents have reason to be concerned. According to leading mental health professionals and law enforcement agencies, perpetrators of violent acts against animals are often repeat offenders who pose a serious threat not only to other animals but to the community as a whole.”
PETA is asking that¯if convicted and in addition to serving periods of incarceration or detention—Garrett and the teen be banned for life from all contact with animals, as is allowed by California law. In addition, PETA is asking that the pair be required to undergo thorough psychological evaluations followed by mandatory counseling.
PETA is also sending its anti-violence public service announcement hosted by actor Dennis Franz to TV stations serving the Santa Barbara County area.
For more information, please visit HelpingAnimals.com.
PETA’s letter to District Attorney Tom Sneddon follows.
November 2, 2005
The Honorable Tom Sneddon
District Attorney, Santa Barbara County
112 Santa Barbara St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Dear Mr. Sneddon:
We hope that this finds you well. This letter concerns another recent cruelty-to-animals case that your office is handling, involving Stephen Garrett Jr., 20, and an unnamed 15-year-old male codefendant, residences unreported. Each faces charges stemming from their alleged role in the reported October 27 fatal stabbing of an Orcutt woman’s dog, Rusty. The defendants evidently alarmed Rusty and five other dogs while reportedly attempting to burglarize the woman’s home. According to news sources, the defendants—who evidently alarmed Rusty and five other dogs while reportedly attempting to burglarize the woman’s home—assaulted Rusty. As the dog was returning inside, one of the accused allegedly reached his hand through a pet door and stabbed the cocker spaniel in his back and hind quarters, apparently inflicting fatal wounds.
Mental health professionals and top law enforcement officials consider cruelty to animals to be a red flag. The American Psychiatric Association identifies animal abuse as one of the diagnostic criteria for conduct disorders, and the FBI uses reports of cruelty to animals in analyzing the threat potential of suspected and known criminals. Experts agree that it is the severity of the behavior—not the species of the victim—that matters.
We ask that, if convicted and in addition to serving a period of incarceration or detention, the aforementioned defendants be required to undergo thorough psychological evaluations followed by mandatory counseling at their own expense¯the safety of the community may depend on it. Because repeat crimes are the rule rather than the exception among animal abusers and given the violent and malicious nature of their alleged actions that day, we implore you to take every measure necessary to ensure that both are banned for life from all contact with animals—as is allowed by state law—and to immediately seize any animals who may remain in their respective charges.
On behalf of our thousands of members in California, we thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Daniel Paden, Cruelty Caseworker
Domestic Animal and Wildlife Rescue & Information Department