A woman who claimed to run an animal rescue charity has been charged with felony animal cruelty after 14 dogs, many of them caged and covered in feces, were rescued from her locked vehicle parked in the sun in Newport Beach on the Fourth of July, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday.
Several of the rescued dogs were suffering from heat distress and had no access to water, prosecutors said. Thirteen puppies were found to have intestinal parasites, and a 6-week-old Golden Retriever puppy had to be euthanized because of severe, untreated parasite infestations.
The woman was also allegedly caught on video dragging a dead dog from her vehicle and dumping the body in bushes in Irvine, according to the district attorney’s office.
Priscilla Martin, 33, has been charged with three felony counts of animal cruelty by a caretaker, 11 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty by a caretaker and one misdemeanor count of disposing of the carcass of a dead animal.
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On July 4, the Newport Beach Police Department received a report of multiple dogs locked inside a vehicle. Officers found 18 dogs inside the vehicle, including 14 dogs confined in wire crates and plastic carriers in what authorities described as extremely unsanitary conditions. The dogs had no water and were covered in feces.
According to prosecutors, 13 of the 14 dogs seized by Newport Beach Animal Control were puppies, including two 6-week-old Golden Retriever puppies rescued from the vehicle in critical condition because of untreated parasites. One puppy was euthanized, while the other is recovering.
On July 13, Irvine police recovered the body of a dead dog whose microchip was registered to Martin, prosecutors said. Surveillance video allegedly showed Martin pulling into a parking lot, dragging the dog’s body from her vehicle and leaving it in nearby bushes.
A necropsy later determined the dog died of heat stroke, consistent with being left inside a hot car.
Martin was located in Costa Mesa on July 22 with 14 more dogs inside her vehicle and was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty.
The dogs were removed from the vehicle and are undergoing health evaluations.
The district attorney’s office said Martin advertised on social media that operated a nonprofit animal rescue called K9 Paws Rescue, Inc.
However, prosecutors said the California Attorney General’s Registry of Charities and Fundraisers did not have a record of K9 Paws Rescue, Inc. or Canine Paws Rescue, Inc., which is required to register to solicit charitable donations in the state.
Martin pleaded not guilty Thursday and was released from custody without posting bail, over prosecutors’ objections. She was ordered not to have access to any animals while the case is pending.
If convicted of all counts, she faces a maximum sentence of 15 years and 10 months in state prison.
“Every living being deserves a safe home with the basic necessities of life. Despite our compassion for the homeless, it does not excuse subjecting defenseless animals to inhumane conditions,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.
“The abuse of animals will never be tolerated, and anyone who engages in violence or neglect against animals will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
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