A 34-year-old man seen on a Ring doorbell digital camera swinging at and kicking a Labradoodle in an Anaheim house advanced final yr has pleaded responsible to a misdemeanor cost of animal cruelty and was positioned on one yr of probation, authorities mentioned Wednesday, Sept. 6.
Albert Frank Abad Jr., 34, agreed to a court docket supply from Orange County Superior Court docket Choose Justin Glenn-Leistikow that diminished the cost from a felony, permitting Abad Jr. to keep away from jail time, mentioned Kimberly Edds, spokeswoman for the Orange County District Lawyer’s Workplace.
Prosecutors had sought a 30-day jail sentence, she mentioned.
Although judges have the power to scale back crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, Orange County District Lawyer Todd Spitzer disagreed with Glenn-Leistikow’s resolution to decrease the crime, calling it “surprising” that the choose would “train that discretion to offer a break to somebody who clearly has no concern participating in cruelty to a susceptible animal.
“The love of a canine is unconditional and to betray that belief is really disgusting,” Spitzer mentioned.
The choose lessened the cost after reviewing letters in assist of Abad from household and associates.
Video of the Sept. 15, 2022 assault went viral and confirmed a person recognized as Abad strolling as much as the Labradoodle, who was sitting subsequent to an exit door, then swinging on the canine and cornering it towards the wall earlier than kicking it twice on the Gateway Condominium Properties on State Faculty Boulevard.
Abad then hooked up a leash and dragged the black Labradoodle, named Steeler, down the hallway away from the digital camera, kicking it twice extra.
Per week later, Abad turned himself in to Anaheim police and was arrested, however posted bond and was launched.
Abad additionally took Steeler to Middle Sinai Animal Hospital in Los Angeles and gave the canine to workers, police mentioned. Steeler was checked out by a veterinarian and was believed to not have been completely injured.
Steeler was transferred to Orange County Animal Care and has since been positioned with an out-of-state nonprofit animal rescue group, Edds mentioned.
