- Nevada, USA -
On Thursday, August 18, 2022, judge Christy Craig, judge for the Eighth Judicial District Court, sentenced VICTOR ERIK GARCIA-HERRERA (pictured), to a one year suspended prison sentence to be served through probation with the first eleven days served in Clark County Jail from Thursday.
FOX5 reports that prosecutors allege GARCIA-HERRERA, former owner of the pet boarding and grooming facility PawZazz, is behind the death of a female Husky named Mora in July 2021, and the death of a female Chow Chow named Ying Yang on December 24, 2021.
KTNV reports that GARCIA-HERRERA “made an agreement with the district attorney's office known as an Alford plea. This means Garcia-Herrera pleads guilty but maintains his innocence. He understands the evidence is so strong, a jury would find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
According to KTNV, GARCIA-HERRERA said that the reason for the agreement was to protect his family's safety following harassment on social media. He said PawZazz was also vandalized.
GARCIA-HERRERA accepted the plea deal in April 2022, after the two felony animal cruelty charges he faced were dropped to a gross misdemeanor charge.
Although he was initially charged for the death of Mora and Ying Yang, GARCIA-HERRERA agreed to plead guilty to a count of attempted animal cruelty in connection with Mora’s death and judge Craig told him: “In accordance with the law, I'm judging you guilty of the crime of attempted cruelty to animals, a gross misdemeanor.”
Where the f------ is the attempt here with at least two dead dogs?!?!
According to a Facebook post by animal rights activist Gina Greisen with Nevada Voters for Animals, she took Mora to PawZazz on July 1, 2022, to be boarded for several days and on July 11, 2022, “during a week of record temperatures, we received a 911 text that the Husky was breathing very hard.”
Mora died within “25 minutes of original text”, said Greisen.
According to court documents, Ying Yang, died after being deprived of medical care.
KLAS reports that in addition to the 11 days in jail, GARCIA-HERRERA “will be on probation for one year, can’t have any pets or be around animals, and must complete a class on the appropriate treatment of animals.”
Judge Craig also told GARCIA-HERRERA he is not allowed to run his business from his home.
As reported by FOX5, GARCIA-HERRERA’s wife still owns PawZazz and Greisen and other animal activists asked the judge to shut down PawZazz saying abuse could still happen.
Greisen told judge Craig: “To find out that the wife is going to run it, this case is now worse now because it's one less person to help run this facility that I will say a house of horror for animals.”
Judge Craig said closing a business is not under her authority.
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Mora's pictures shared from Nevada Voters for Animals
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