Recently in Animals Category

The Spokesman Review has the story of the Spokane, Wash. woman, and her mother, who went on trial for bringing the monkey into the U.S. from Thailand by stuffing it under her shirt and pretending she was pregnant.

Jimmie Lunceford got the maximum today - five years and eight months in prison - for his actions over what the judge described as the "weekend from hell." Despondent over a break-up with his girlfriend, he left her adult daughters numerous threatening voicemail messages, tried to break into one of their homes and then slashed a police dog's neck when officers responded.

More details about the case and the hearing will be in tomorrow's Daily Breeze.

Jimmie Lunceford, convicted of making criminal threats and stabbing a Redondo Beach police dog, was not sentenced as scheduled,. A hearing date last week and then one today were both postponed because the judge called-in sick.

Oh, and that motion for new trial his attorney wanted to file? He didn't.

You know it's going to be a weird story when, during your regular round of morning calls to the local police departments, one of them asks you if anyone else has reported finding a goat ... with three legs.

Torrance Superior Court Judge Sandra Thompson was just seconds away from handing down a sentence to Jimmie Lunceford when she decided to give him a last-second reprieve to file a motion for a new trial. Lunceford's attorney, William Kopeski, had told Thompson that he believed a motion should be filed, but Lunceford and his family never authorized him to do so.

The sentencing hearing continued anyway with Deputy District Attorney Christine Von Helmolt arguing Lunceford should receive the maximum five-year, eight-month sentence and Kopeski asking for leniency for his emotionally unstable client. At the end, Kopeski took the long-shot and asked for a bit more time to file the motion after Lunceford asked him to, and Thompson said OK. They will return June 4 to argue the motion and, if it is denied, Lunceford will be sentenced.

An English pet owner who was caught on closed-circuit television leaving her dog's doings on a neighbor's driveway is facing up to 1,000 pounds in fines (that's nearly $2,000 U.S. dollars). The best part about this article from the Sunderland Echo (which includes the video) is how polite the writer is, even while discussing poop. The dog was seen "fouling the pavement" and her "pooch soiled the ground." Not a mention of poop, turd, feces or even crap. The British are so proper.

This just arrived from the District Attorney's Office:


LOS ANGELES -- A man faces a possible state prison term after pleading no contest to killing his girlfriend's cat following an argument, the District Attorney's Office announced today.

On May 2, Scott Allen Atkinson, 45, was convicted of one count of making criminal threats and one count of intentional cruelty to an animal. Two other counts were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. Atkinson is due back for sentencing July 31 at Los Angeles Superior Court, Department 127.

The defendant killed "Tweety," a black-and-white cat, in October 2007 after he and his girlfriend argued outside their (Los Angeles) apartment, according to police reports. After the verbal exchange, the defendant allegedly went back inside the apartment and came back out sometime later, telling the girlfriend, "Follow the blood trail to find Tweety."

While Atkinson contended that he found the cat dead and put its body in a dumpster behind the apartment building, police found blood on the walls of the apartment and in the bathtub. The cat's body was never recovered.

Deputy District Attorney Stefana Antonescu said Atkinson faces two years in state prison.

Jimmie Lunceford was supposed to be sentenced today for threats he made to his estranged girlfriend's adult daughters and stabbing a Redondo Beach police dog. But his attorney, William Kopesky, was a no-show. The court clerk and prosecutor tried to reach him this morning for hours, but his voicemail was full and he wasn't returning pages. This is the same attorney who didn't show up for an earlier proceeding in the case, keeping nine witnesses waiting around.

Turns out, he wrote down the wrong date.

When we find out the new date, we'll update it in the Court Tracker. Lunceford is facing a maximum of five years and eight months.

There are two great things in the Daily News' story today about the arrest yesterday of an alleged cockfighting organizer in Chatsworth. First, it says that "cockfighting paraphernalia" was found at the residence by investigators with the Los Angeles Animal Cruelty Task Force. I have to wonder, what is cockfighting paraphernelia? Little padded gloves and gawdy gold championship belts?

Second, the last quote of the story from the neighbor who was just thankful to finally get a good night's rest. Did the resident not think that crowing roosters were a bit out of the ordinary in the city? Maybe that's the person who will collect big for tipping the authorities.

The person who anonymously called 911 last fall to report rooster-related mayhem in Gardena probably wishes they held on just a little bit longer. The District Attorney and the Humane Society announced today they were doubling the reward to $5,000 for tips leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in dogfighting and cockfighting activities.

Along with the reward, the organizations also announced that tipsters could call 211 to make an animal cruelty report.

“Animal fighting not only promotes the mistreatment and killing of animals, it also makes communities vulnerable to byproduct crimes such as illegal gambling, assault, drugs and weapons,” District Attorney Steve Cooley said.  “It is also widely recognized that those who abuse animals are more likely to engage in violence against humans.”

After the jump, check out some statistics on dogfighting and cockfighting, courtesy of the Humane Society: