Alley Cat Allies applauds the Sacramento County animal control officer whose dedicated investigation led to the arrest of Adrian Cruz, 30, on felony animal cruelty charges. Cruz was allegedly captured on home surveillance video beating a cat to death.
The officer pursued leads and reviewed surveillance video over weeks, noting that the same suspect was captured returning to the scene several times. Her findings allowed investigators to obtain a search warrant, which ultimately resulted in Cruz’s arrest in June.
This is the level of commitment all animal cruelty investigations deserve in order to protect animals and our communities. Now, Alley Cat Allies is reaching out to the prosecutor in the case to offer our support. Our goal is a conviction and the strongest sentence possible under California law. Cruz is expected to return to court in early August.
Read our letter to the prosecutor:
On behalf of our supporters in California, Alley Cat Allies is writing in support of the prosecution of Adrian Cruz. Following incredible stakeout work by a Sacramento County animal control officer, Cruz was arrested and charged with animal cruelty on June 2 for allegedly beating a cat to death and attempting to do the same with at least two other cats.
Alley Cat Allies would like to offer support to the prosecution of this case and urges the pursuit of the maximum allowable sentence for this heinous and premeditated offense. Given the known statistics for high recidivism rates in violent offenses of this kind, we would also recommend a lifetime ban on owning or possessing an animal.
Alley Cat Allies is the leading advocacy organization with a mission to protect and improve the lives of all cats and kittens. Since our founding in 1990, we have worked in communities large and small to develop humane, evidence-based policies for cats and take strong action, including in court, against incidents of cruelty to cats.
As you know, far too often our judicial system does not adequately recognize the implications of cruelty to animals and, as a result, does not work to ensure the abusers receive a punishment that reflects the severity of the crime. To underestimate the depravity of animal cruelty and the harm it causes is to fail to recognize cats as sentient beings with inherent value who suffer and feel pain. It is also a grave failure to grasp the role of cruelty to cats in the greater landscape of violence in our society.
The link between animal cruelty and child abuse, domestic violence, and adverse mental health and community health outcomes is well established, and research has found that violence against animals is predictive of, and often co-occurring with, violence against humans. To protect us all, animals and people, it is critical to enforce our animal cruelty laws.
That is why we greatly appreciate your efforts to seek appropriate punishment in this case. Again, Alley Cat Allies offers continued support and assistance to ensure this case concludes in a manner that brings justice to the victim and sets a standard for future investigation and prosecution of animal cruelty.
Alley Cat Allies can provide legal assistance at no cost for this case. Its team includes experts in animal cruelty prosecutions who can research legal issues, provide information regarding veterinarians and other expert witnesses, assist with pleadings, and more.
Please contact our team to discuss how we can help.