MADERA COUNTY – Janice Aguilar, 39, of Oakhurst, was convicted of felony cruelty to animals last week in the Sierra Division of the Madera Superior Court at Bass Lake.
On Aug. 29, 2012, Aguilar was observed by neighbors in Oakhurst beating a puppy and banging it on the ground, punching it repeatedly with her fist until its eye was dislocated from its socket, then stuffing the wounded animal into her backpack.A passing motorist stopped to assist, and though Aguilar was driven to two separate veteranarians, she refused to take the injured and suffering animal in for treatment at either office, according to Madera County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Erica Stuart. Aguilar reportedly told deputies at the time of her arrest that the puppy had been attacked by a pit bull.
One of the witnesses was reported to have killed the dog to relieve its suffering.
Aguilar will be sentenced in the Sierra Division of Superior Court at Bass Lake on Apr. 9.
