Incident Date: Thursday, Apr 22, 2010
County: Kern
Charges: Misdemeanor, Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 2 files available
Defendant/Suspect: James Dale Worley
Upcoming Court Dates:
» Tuesday, Oct 26, 2010: sentencing
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
Animal control officers sifted through tips that came in on the case of a pit bull found tied up, and left to die. On Friday, the dog was doing pretty well after being rescued Thursday morning.
But, the search is on for whoever abused the animal. After seeing news reports, callers reported some leads -- and some said the dog could be theirs.
Karina Ramirez thought the abused dog could be her pit bull that went missing about eight months ago.
"When I saw the news last night, I just started bawling," Ramirez told Eyewitness News. "There was something about his eyes that made me think that it was Cyrus."
Ramirez said she was living near Mt. Vernon Avenue, when the gate was left open, and Cyrus got out. Since then, she's been looking at any stray pits, and hoping that might be her dog.
Ramirez went to the animal shelter to get a look, but the rescued dog wasn't Cyrus.
"It's sad, because that poor dog is a nice dog," she said -- after petting the rescued animal.
Ramirez had a photo of herself with Cyrus. Her dog had white legs, the abused animal has brown ones. Otherwise, the coloring was very close.
The abused animal was found by an animal control officer Thursday morning in a field off Adobe Road, between Sandrini Road and Teale Road. Officers went out, after getting an anonymous call.
They found a situation much worse than they expected, said animal control director Guy Shaw.
"The two back paws were tied together, the front paws were tied together, I believe it was also sort of hog-tied like when you're doing cattle wrestling," Shaw explained.
He said the animal had been tied up with something like thick shoe laces.
"And the muzzle -- the face -- had it wrapped around, and tied with those laces, so it was sort of held down in that way."
Shaw said the shelter medical team had checked over the dog, and he was doing amazingly well.
"Except for being a little thin, the swelling has done done from its paw that was tied and very swollen."
Shaw said the dog seemed to be eating pretty well, and it was well-behaved.
The animal does have a very thick chain connected tightly around his neck, and they're trying to find the best way to get that off.
Shaw said the dog will be held the required number of days, as any stray would. After that, several rescue groups have expressed an interest in taking him in.
Officers are looking over the leads that were called in on Friday, but Shaw said they welcome any additional information. The number to call is 868-7102.
Ramirez was disappointed the dog was not her missing Cyrus, she still hopes he will be found. And she wishes she could give the rescued animal the home it deserves.
As for the person who abused the dog?
"I think whoever did it should be prosecuted," Ramirez said. "Because an animal is your companion."
The man accused of hog-tying and abandoning a dog pleaded no contest Monday to a felony count of cruelty to an animal.
As a result, two other counts were dismissed.
James Dale Worley, of Bakersfield, was charged in May with animal abuse and abandonment. He left a pit bull in a muddy field with its mouth and legs bound. A farm worker found the dog off Adobe Road south of the city.
A property owner asked Worley to get rid of the dog after it bit a worker, according to the sheriff's office report. Worley initially lied to animal control officers but later admitted to dumping the dog. He didn't admit to hog-tying the dog.
News of the abuse struck a nerve with animal lovers. One online petition seeking prosecution to the fullest extent of the law got thousands of signatures.
The dog, who was named England after one of the animal control officers who rescued him, was eventually taken in by the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation, an animal welfare organization that is associated with Hollywood actress Katherine Heigl.
Worley is scheduled for sentencing Oct. 26.
The man accused of hog-tying a dog finally faced a judge Friday.James Worley, 52, of Bakersfield, was in court to answer to animal abuse and abandonment charges.
Worley pleaded not guilty to two charges of felony cruelty to animals and one misdemeanor charge of abandoning a dog or cat.
When Eyewitness News asked Worley if he had a comment about this case, his attorney said, "No comment. "
Even though Worley pleaded not guilty, a copy of the investigative report from the Kern County Sheriff's Office tells a different story.
The report shows the owner of Worley's property told Worley that he didn't want the dog on the property. Then, on April 20, a person doing business on the property got bit and dragged by the dog.
The owner told Worley again that he didn't want the dog on the property, and Worley told him, "Don't worry about the dog. We got rid of the dog," according to the report. Worley made a slicing motion at his neck while making the statement, the document shows.
Two days later, on April 22, the report said a farm worker found a hog-tied pit bull in a field on Adobe Road. It was taken to the animal shelter.
Then on April 26, the report said animal control officers went to ask Worley about the dog biting incident. Worley reportedly told the officers he found the dog dead in its kennel after the bite occurred, but officers told Worley that the dog at the shelter was identified as the bite dog.
According to the report, Worley then asked the officers, "How much time will I get for dumping the dog?" The officers said that was unknown, then Worley reportedly asked to make a private call.
After the call, Worley said, "Take me to jail. I dumped the dog on Adobe Road."
When officers asked Worley if he tied the dog up, Worley said, "I did not tie it up. I dumped it, and anything could have happened after that."
Worley is facing three years in prison for the felony charges, and the misdemeanor is a sentence of jail time.
This animal abuse case has touched a lot of people, and some even went to court on Friday to see the man who allegedly abused the pit bull.
One of those people was Karen Marousek who started an online petition to make sure the person responsible for hog-tying the dog is punished to the fullest extent of the law.
"While people may not think that prosecuting for animal abuse is a significant crime, they do need to understand that many times it does lead or many times is in conjunction with abuse towards humans," she said.
The petition had well over 2,300 signatures as of Friday evening, and it had comments from people throughout the country and around the world.
The dog was named England, after one of the animal control officers, Kristen England, who rescued him. He was handed over Wednesday to the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation, which was co-founded by Hollywood actress Katherine Heigl.
Worley is scheduled to be back in court for his preliminary hearing on May 21.
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