Dog’s Accused Killer Pleads Not Guilty

A 20-year-old Ventura man accused of beating his housemate’s dog to death and then setting the pet on fire pleaded not guilty Wednesday to felony charges of animal cruelty.

Javier Castellanos is accused of hacking the German shepherd to death with an ax, setting him on fire and then stuffing him into a black plastic bag and dumping him in a garbage can Monday evening.

He was represented by a public defender.

Judge Steven Hintz lowered Castellanos’ bail from $5,000 to $2,000, according to Deputy Dist. Atty. Kathy La Salle, who handles the county’s animal cruelty cases.

Such cases can be considered a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the severity of the abuse.

Police said they removed a large long-handled ax from the suspect’s car.

According to police reports, Castellanos told authorities that he beat the dog, named Akbar, with the ax because the dog tried to bite his ankle and that he tried to burn Akbar several times so the 100-pound dog would better fit into the garbage bag.

Jim Pykonen, Akbar’s owner, discovered that his dog was missing when he returned from work Monday evening.

Pykonen said Tuesday that Akbar, who would have been 8 years old Friday, had never bit anyone and would not do so unless he was reacting out of self-defense.

Pykonen had rented a room from Castellanos’ father for the last six months.

Pykonen moved out of the Colby Circle house after the incident.

Castellanos’ preliminary hearing is set for April 16.