PETA DEMANDS LIFETIME BAN ON ANIMAL OWNERSHIP, JAIL TIME IF ALLEGED DOG TORTURER, KILLER IS CONVICTED
For Immediate Release:
February 21, 2006
Contact:
Dan Paden 757-622-7382
Tuolumne County, Calif.---This morning, PETA sent an urgent plea to Tuolumne County District Attorney Donald I. Segerstrom Jr., urging him to vigorously prosecute Raymond Everett DeLeon III of Twain Harte. DeLeon faces felony charges stemming from authorities’ reported January 13 discovery of the rotting remains of his two dogs, who were chained behind his home. The animals—Rosemary and Bear—were reportedly deprived of food, and rainwater was the only water available to them. According to Tuolumne County Animal Control Manager Jennifer Clarke, one of the dogs lost 30 pounds in two months. DeLeon is scheduled to face these charges in court tomorrow, February 22.
“To deny animals food and allow them to slowly waste away and suffer is horrifically cruel,” says PETA Researcher Dan Paden. “Too often, people who are convicted of crimes against animals walk out of court with a slap on the wrist. We urge Mr. Segerstrom to make sure that, if the defendant is convicted, a sentence including incarceration is sought because of the vile nature of this crime.”
PETA is asking that¯if convicted and in addition to serving a period of incarceration—DeLeon be banned for life from contact with animals, as is allowed by California law. PETA is also asking that DeLeon be required to undergo a thorough psychological evaluation followed by mandatory counseling.
PETA is also sending its anti-chaining public service announcement hosted by actor Justin Theroux to TV stations serving the Tuolumne County area.
For more information, please visit HelpingAnimals.com.
PETA’s letter to District Attorney Donald I. Segerstrom Jr. follows.
February 21, 2006
The Honorable Donald I. Segerstrom Jr.
Tuolumne County District Attorney
423 N. Washington St.
Sonora, CA 95370
Dear Mr. Segerstrom:
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the world’s largest animal rights organization, with more than a million members and supporters dedicated to animal protection. This letter concerns a recent case of cruelty to animals that your office is handling, involving Raymond Everett DeLeon III, 28, of Twain Harte. DeLeon faces felony charges stemming from authorities’ alleged January 13 discovery of the rotting remains of his two dogs, Rosemary and Bear, behind his Golf Links Drive home. According to news sources, Rosemary and Bear apparently starved to death, and their carcasses were still chained in the defendant’s back yard. Both animals were allegedly found to be approximately 50 percent underweight.
We understand that DeLeon is scheduled to answer to these charges in court tomorrow, February 22, at 8:15 a.m.
Mental health professionals and top law enforcement officials consider the blatant disregard for life and desensitization to suffering evidenced by all forms of cruelty to animals to be a red flag. In fact, the American Psychiatric Association identifies cruelty to animals as one of the diagnostic criteria for conduct disorders, and the FBI uses reports of these crimes 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.
On behalf of our thousands of members and supporters in California, we respectfully ask that, if convicted and in addition to serving a period of incarceration, DeLeon be required to undergo a thorough psychological evaluation followed by mandatory counseling at his own expense. Because repeat crimes are the rule rather than the exception among animal abusers and given the defendant’s apparent prolonged and utter disregard for the lives and suffering of animals in his custody, we implore your office to take every measure necessary to ensure that he, if convicted, is prohibited from all future contact with animals—as is allowed by state law—and to immediately seize any animals who remain in his charge.
Thank you for your diligence in this matter and for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Dan Paden, Researcher
Domestic Animal and Wildlife Rescue & Information Department
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