Animal cruelty charge dropped against dead pit bull’s owner

A transgression lawsuit against a Las Vegas antheral who was charged with sidesplitting a pit bull recovered with its muzzle taped shut successful July 2020 has been dismissed.

Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney John Jones said determination was not capable grounds to enactment a prosecution of Leonel Torres, 31, successful the decease of his family’s pit bull, named Cali, connected July 23 successful the 4400 artifact of Vegas Valley Drive. Clark County carnal power officers recovered the canine “with reddish portion wrapped astir its muzzle” adjacent a trash bin, Las Vegas constabulary initially wrote successful an apprehension study for Torres.

Torres told constabulary that the canine was his and that it had gone missing the nighttime earlier aft escaping from his backyard. Police past inspected his gait but could not place a spot wherever the canine could person feasibly escaped, according to the apprehension warrant. Police besides claimed that Torres failed a polygraph, and a detective said constabulary recovered reddish duct portion successful a shed astatine Torres’ home. He was charged with felony malicious torture, maiming oregon sidesplitting of an animal.

Defense lawyer Michael D. Pariente said constabulary “jumped to conclusions” successful the lawsuit and that his lawsuit is innocent. He said the canine could person easy escaped from the family’s backyard connected its ain by jumping a wall. Pariente said helium besides learned from witnesses that the canine was affable with everyone, and that helium believed neighbors successful a quality with Torres were apt liable for the crime.

“We deliberation they (neighbors) did this arsenic a retaliation against my lawsuit due to the fact that my lawsuit was complaining astir large euphony and called the constabulary respective times to record complaints,” Pariente said. “After Cali the canine was killed, the neighbors stopped playing their euphony truly loudly, past they moved out.”

Jones, the adjunct territory attorney, said the lawsuit was dismissed connected Tuesday.

“We spoke with immoderate witnesses, neighbors, and they refuted immoderate of the points successful the declaration of arrest,” Jones said. “It raised questions successful my caput astir whether I would beryllium capable to beryllium it beyond a tenable doubt.”

Contact Glenn Puit by email astatine gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ connected Twitter.