CALIFORNIA CITY, Calif. (KERO) — LaQuenta Reynolds, a California City resident, enters a not guilty plea for a felony animal cruelty charge at Mojave Superior Court.
- Reynolds declined to comment to the media.
- Reynolds is out of custody on a $20,000 bail.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A disturbing case of alleged animal abuse has made its way to court. I'm Steve Virgen, your neighborhood reporter. LaQuenta Reynolds of California City faced a judge at Mojave Superior Court, pleading not guilty to animal cruelty charges. When approached outside the courthouse, Reynolds declined to comment on the allegations.
LaQuenta Reynolds requested a security escort to her car at Mojave court after her not guilty plea. She did not want to speak to the media. Reynolds is due back in court on June 23 for a pre-preliminary hearing. She remains out of custody on a $20,000 bail. Cal City Police said there were 48 dogs seized from her property in February. Several showed signs of suffering.
“We took 10 into our rescue. Many of them have already been adopted. We have some that are still at our rescue ranch. We had a few that went into our Pawsitive Change program at CCI Tehachapi. One of them has graduated already and into a loving home. And then we have one that is participating in our therapy dog program,” said Dr. Melissa Brunson, executive director of Marley's Mutt's Rescue in Tehachapi.
Brunson said she was upset when she learned earlier this year about the numerous dogs at Reynolds’ property also known as Pawfect Companions. Cal City police said it was illegal to have more than 5 animals at the residence.
“I think it’s something that’s really kind of difficult for the rescue community to comprehend. Videos, photos of the dogs. Obviously we took 10 of those dogs into our rescue. Malnourished. Many of them had medical issues. Many of them had open wounds. It’s hard for us to comprehend what’s going on when those animals just clearly were not cared for in the way they should have been," Brunson said.
This case raises important questions about animal welfare in our community. We'll continue tracking this story and bring you developments as they unfold. I'm Steve Virgen, your neighborhood reporter.
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