Reward of $5,000 Offered in Case of Pit Bulls Found Dead in Lucerne Valley

Contact: media@aldf.org

Incentive offered to spark new leads and encourage witnesses to come forward

The Animal Legal Defense Fund, the nation’s preeminent legal advocacy organization for animals, is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for the death of a pair of pit bulls named Diamond and Sophia. After going missing from their Lucerne Valley home, the bodies of both dogs were found in early August 2016 along a nearby dirt road—tied, mangled and caked with mud.

The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Rural Crimes Task Force and District Attorney’s Animal Cruelty Prosecution Unit are continuing to investigate Diamond and Sophia’s fate, which they describe as a “vicious crime.”

Under California law, any person convicted of maliciously and intentionally killing an animal can be imprisoned for up to three years in county jail and/or fined $20,000 for animal cruelty. In California, it is at the district attorney’s discretion whether animal cruelty is charged as a felony.

“We encourage anyone with information about Sophia and Diamond’s untimely deaths to bravely come forward—so that these dogs can receive the justice they deserve,” says Stephen Wells, executive director of the Animal Legal Defense Fund. “We thank the San Bernardino County Sherriff and DA’s Offices for their efforts to hold the perpetrator accountable. ”

If you have information related to this incident, please contact the San Bernardino County Animal Cruelty Prosecution Unit at 909-945-4400.

For more information visit, aldf.org.