Prosecutors to review Los Angeles animal cruelty case
The case of a former city employee accused of treating dogs inhumanely at Los Angeles’ West Valley animal shelter in Chatsworth is being referred to prosecutors for review, the head of the animal services agency said Friday.
Brenda Barnette told The Times earlier this week that she had not considered a criminal referral for Manuel Boado, 64. He allegedly failed to sedate dogs before euthanizing them, placed them near other dead animals and inserted the euthanizing needle into their jugular veins during euthanasia, which is considered more painful than other locations. A city commission upheld his firing Dec. 8.
After angry responses from the public over the case, Barnette said in an email that she would forward information on the case to the L.A. County district attorney’s office.
“Several concerned and caring citizens have come forward asking to have [Boado] prosecuted for animal cruelty,” she wrote. “The department can request an investigation, which we will do.”
Boado had insisted that he did not engage in cruel treatment of shelter animals, saying that he had not been trained properly by the department on euthanasia. His lawyer also said that Boado had had a “bad day” on the day in July 2010 that sparked the disciplinary case — and had probably yelled at a dog out of frustration over working conditions, including a broken refrigerator that contained animal carcasses.
Barnette responded by telling the city’s Civil Service Commission, which ultimately voted to fire Boado, that animal shelter workers cannot have even one bad day when it comes to animal cruelty.
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