Kern County Drops Animal Cruelty Case

Kern County prosecutors on Thursday declined to file animal cruelty charges against a former San Fernando Valley woman who faces trial in Los Angeles on charges that she duped pet owners into giving away dogs and cats that were later sold to medical laboratories.

Kern County Dist. Atty. Ed Jagels said authorities believed Barbara Ann Ruggiero, 27, ran a similar enterprise in Bakersfield but decided not to file charges because she already faces six years in prison, the maximum sentence allowed under state law for nonviolent felonies, if convicted in Los Angeles.

Ruggiero, whose trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 13 in San Fernando Superior Court, faces two misdemeanor and 13 felony counts of theft and conspiracy. Even if convicted in Bakersfield on similar charges, Ruggiero could not receive additional prison time because it would exceed the state sentencing limit, Jagels said.

Animal control officers from Kern and Los Angeles counties on Monday raided a kennel Ruggiero operated in Bakersfield called the Puppy Pavilion and confiscated 80 dogs, which will remain in protective custody. Officers said the animals were held in substandard conditions.

Jagels said Kern County prosecutors reserve the right to file charges against Ruggiero if she is acquitted in Los Angeles.