An arrest warrant has been issued for a 53-year-old Riverside County man charged with felony animal cruelty after he allegedly beat a dog to death with a shovel, authorities announced Friday.
Efren Rodriguez Martinez, of Whitewater, was accused of beating the 3-year-old terrier mix named Rusty on Monday, June 8. The dog died two days later.
The neighbor heard the dog being hit and also witnessed another blow to the dog moments later, according to officer Kyle Stephens with the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.
According to the neighbor, Martinez swung “the shovel and hit the dog one last time before scooping the dog upon the shovel and tossing it over his back fence into the desert,” Stephens stated.
Another resident, after hearing what had happened to Rusty, called 911, a release from the department stated.
Upon his arrival, Stephens was led to the dog, which he found dumped in an area with desert chaparral.
Rusty was breathing heavily and whimpering, but was mostly motionless, Stephens said.
Stephens carried Rusty to his truck and rushed him to the VCA Valley Animal Medical Center in Indio for emergency treatment. But Rusty had been injured too badly and died two days later.
“This dog was the victim of major trauma to the head and body,” said Dr. Allan Drusys, Riverside County’s chief veterinarian. “It is unconscionable that anyone would inflict these injures upon a defenseless dog. Unfortunately, in spite of the best medical care this dog received, he succumbed to his wounds.”
The dog was not specifically owned by anyone, but several residents fed and cared for Rusty, the release stated.
“To think that a person caused the level of serious trauma to this innocent dog is mind blowing,” Stephens said. “My colleagues were shocked when I told them how this dog was treated.”
A complaint filed against Martinez in the Riverside County Superior Court in Indio includes a personal use of a weapon allegation. If convicted, he faces up to eight years in state prison.