Owners of Rebel the dog to address public Tuesday at Riverside arraignment
The owners of Rebel, a dog who died when car thieves left her inside a sweltering stolen vehicle, plan to address the public Tuesday afternoon shortly before three suspects are arraigned in Riverside Superior Court.
Rebel's owners are expected to speak out about the death of their beloved 16-year-old wolf-malamute mix and push for the maximum penalty for the car thieves.
Rebel was inside a Ford Excursion that was stolen at the Riverside National Cemetery on Aug. 16.The dog's owners were standing about 20 feet away when a woman slipped inside the Excursion, with its engine running to provide air conditioning for Rebel, and drove off.
The vehicle was found the next day in Moreno Valley with the windows rolled up. Inside, was Rebel who had died from the heat.
"No animal or person should ever be mistreated the way Rebel was at the hands of these car thieves," according to a statement from the dog's owners.
San Bernardino Valley Human Society officials, who offered a $10,000 reward to help capture the vehicle thief, say the Excursion was found locked and with its windows up. No attempt was made to help Rebel, they said.
Riverside Sheriff's deputies tracked down and arrested three suspects in the case. Defendants Michael Juan Deharo, 27, Rhett Hermanson, 18, and Gabriela Adela Briones, 31, are expected to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m., according to Superior Court records.
Additionally, Rebel's owners are pushing for corporate policies to be changed to allow phone carriers to immediately trace cell phones in emergencies, according to a statement.
"This was not done for Rebel despite many attempts to get this done," according to the statement. "We know that Rebel's life would most certainly have been saved and we would still have her with us today."
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