A Buena Park man was charged with felony animal cruelty for the alleged gruesome killing of a pregnant dog, the Orange County DA’s Office announced Wednesday.
Eric Lyn Holiday, 58, is accused of fatally snapping a pregnant dog’s neck after tying a rope around the animal and the other end to his SUV, according to police.
Surveillance video obtained by Orange County police on Monday appears to show Holliday tie the rope around the six-year-old Maltese’s neck before speeding off in his Ford Expedition and leaving the dog to die in an alley.
The Buena Park resident was identified by investigators and later arrested. He is accused of having several baggies of methamphetamine in his possession when he was arrested, police said.
Holliday has been charged with one felony count of animal cruelty and one felony count of possession of a hard drug with two or more prior convictions, the Orange County DA’s Office said.
The 58-year-old man was on probation at the time after pleading guilty in October to one felony count of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury and one felony count of vandalism causing damage of $400 or more.
“There is a special place in hell for people who abuse animals,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “This was not an act of rage. This was a clear plan to kill a defenseless animal, and when he executed his plan, he drove off, leaving the animal’s body in the alley for someone else to discover the horror of what he had done. Only someone who is pure evil could engage in such reprehensible conduct, and we will ensure the Court clearly understands what this individual is capable of and the threat he poses to public safety before any sentence is imposed. Violence against animals will never be tolerated, and every act of animal abuse will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”