El Paso man arrested after 35 animals rescued from neglected home

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — An El Paso man is facing animal cruelty charges after authorities rescued over 30 animals living in poor conditions.

According to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, Edgar Adrian Fuller, 39, was arrested Sunday after the El Paso County Animal Welfare unit discovered 35 animals at the 700 block of Agua Del Rio (near Ascencion Street on the outskirts of El Paso County) living in unsanitary and unsafe conditions without proper access to food, clean water, or shelter.

The discovery was made on Saturday after the Animal Welfare had received a call regarding an injured dog; however, two injured dogs, 13 cats with signs of being severely sick and five underweight pigs living in a confined space were discovered.

In total, 16 dogs, 13 cats, and five pigs were taken from the property for a veterinarian to examine.

After an investigation, the Sheriff’s Office said Fuller was identified as the suspect and 20 warrants were issued for his arrest, 15 for the charges of Cruelty to non-livestock animals and five for cruelty for livestock animals.

Police documents obtained by KFOX14/CBS4 describe the conditions investigators reported while searching the property, as well as the injuries of the two dogs.

According to the documents, the two injured dogs are two pit-bulls, one male, one female.

The male pit-bull had a severe cut in his left ear, a collar embedded on the side of his neck, multiple scars and marks throughout his body and while it had a water bucket, there was a little water and the water was green.

Meanwhile, the female pit-bull had a large abscess that was leaking blood and pus, and while investigators also noted she had a water bucket, the water also appeared green and moldy and was out of reach for the dog as her chain was entangled on a fence.

When investigators searched the front mobile home of the property, six cats were found, all of which had discharge around their eyes and were wheezing.

Then, investigators described finding seven more cats, also sick, in the mobile home at the rear of the property lot.

Investigators noted this trailer was hot, smelled bad, had the floor covered in feces, food was thrown on the floor, no water in sight, and the cats had no way of getting out.

Then, on a pig pen between both mobile homes, investigators found the five pigs living in a cramped space among piles of pig feces.

Investigators noted that you could “partially” see the spine of the pigs as they appeared underweight.

According to the documents, Fuller allegedly told investigators that he had cooked one pig last Christmas, adding that it did not have enough meat as they are underweight.

Fuller also allegedly told investigators that none of the dogs or cats had been spayed or neutered.

Jail records show, as of Monday morning, Fuller remains jailed under a combined bond amount of $30,000.

Following news of Fuller’s arrest, the El Paso Sheriff Oscar Ugarte released the following statement, reminding the community that there is no excuse for allowing animals under our care to suffer:

Animals depend on us for their care and protection, and there is no excuse for allowing them to suffer in these conditions. I want to thank our Animal Welfare officers and Sheriff’s Office personnel for their work in rescuing these animals and ensuring they receive the care they need. We will continue to pursue cases of animal cruelty and hold offenders accountable.

Ugarte also encourages people to report suspected cases of animal neglect or abuse.

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