DARIUS DA’LON MCNEAL arrested for neglecting and starving his dogs – Live dogs were found eating a dead one

- Arizona, USA -

The Tucson Police Department arrested 28-year-old DARIUS DA’LON MCNEAL.

Officers with Pima Animal Care Center responded to MCNEAL’s residence, near Alvernon and Glenn, to investigate an animal abuse complaint.

The police tell me that PACC Officers found “a large amount of dogs outside on a small porch of the apartment. There was no food, and only a baby pool with a small amount of filthy water, and there was limited shade. There was a deceased dog on the porch being eaten by some of the other dogs because they were so hungry.”

At that point, PACC Officers called in Tucson police for assistance.

While the police were on their way, MCNEAL arrived at the apartment, “moved most of the dogs inside of the apartment, and put the deceased dog in a trash bag and into the apartment”, said the police.

Then, MCNEAL took a few of the dogs with him and left in a vehicle.

PACC Officers alerted the police to this new development and some of the Tucson police officers who were on their way located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. Officers found the dogs in the vehicle with MCNEAL.

The other police officers who responded to MCNEAL’s residence, knocked on the door but there was no answer.

In view of the fact that the dogs were without food, water, appeared malnourished, and one of the dogs was deceased, an emergency exception to the warrant rule allowed officers to force entry into the apartment to rescue the remaining dogs.

The police tell me that all of the remaining dogs, about ten, were “stuffed” into two separate wire crates and that many of the puppies were “extremely thin.”

Officers reported that there was feces throughout the apartment. They also found a boa constrictor snake in a filthy terrarium. According to an Animal Control Officer it appeared the snake had not been fed in a long time, nor had the habitat been cleaned in about one year.

PACC removed all of the dogs and the snake.

I asked the police why MCNEAL had so many dogs and whether this is a dogfighting case. I was told that it does not appear that this case is related to dogfighting, but it cannot be confirmed. They do not know at this time why MCNEAL had so many dogs.

MCNEAL was arrested and charged with fifteen (15) felony counts of animal cruelty. He was booked into the Pima County Jail and released after posting a $10,000 bond.

On a separate note, 13 News reports that at the time of his arrest, MCNEAL “was out on probation on an unlawful imprisonment case.” According to 13 NEWS, in 2024, MCNEAL “was convicted of unlawful imprisonment in Pima County and was sentenced to probation. A kidnapping charge was dismissed.”

Additionally, in 2020, MCNEAL “was arrested in Phoenix for allegedly hitting his dogs with a metal pipe.”

Animal abusers are toxic. Toxic people do NOT change, they only change their victims!

I took the liberty of naming the furvictim who was found deceased Indigo for the tribute image. Should his/her given name be made public, I will rectify it accordingly.

###

Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from information provided to Voice For Us by the Tucson Police Department. Please note that details may be removed or new information added should updates become available.

In the case of charges being dropped, dismissed, or the case being purged, this article will be rectified accordingly, if official documentation is provided to Voice For Us.

For more animal cruelty stories, please click here. Thank you!