No charges after dog, twice run over, dies

April 13, 2020 Trevor Montgomery

JURUPA VALLEY, Calif. — Law enforcement and animal control officials who investigated reports of a man intentionally running over a small dog – before backing up and running it over again, killing it – say their investigation led them to determine the fatal incident was nothing more than a tragic accident.

The incident, part of which was caught on a citizen’s cell phone, came to light after video of the dog’s death was widely circulated on social media with calls to apprehend the driver who twice ran over the pet.

“Our investigation revealed that the traffic collision was not intentional,” Sheriff’s officials said today, calling the dog’s death “an unfortunate incident.”

“Our sympathy is with the dog’s owner and all those affected,” said Sheriff’s officials.

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Deputies from the Jurupa Valley Sheriff’s Station along with animal control officers responded to a neighborhood after receiving reports of a pet dog that was fatally run over Sunday afternoon, April 12, Riverside Sheriff’s Sgt. Deanna Pecoraro has since reported.

“The Department received information about a video, circulating on social media outlets, which depicted a dog being run over by a vehicle,” Pecoraro described.

To protect the safety of the family involved, Pecoraro declined to provide an address where the incident happened, although earlier citizen posts say the dog was run over in the Rubidoux area.

“A short video clip was posted on social media that showed a small dog apparently suffering in the middle of a street,” Department of Animal Services Public Information Officer John Welsh said today. “The video also showed the motorist backing up and running over the dog, causing the animal’s death.”

“But the short clip misleads the public,” Welsh explained, saying officials interviewed several witnesses, including the dog’s owner.

“The dog’s owner explained to Animal Services Officer Adam Haisten that she had a come out of her home to conduct business with a vendor and left her gate open and her pet raced out to the street,” explained Welsh; who said, “That’s when the dog was hit by the car.”

The dog’s owner told Haisten that the driver “was not driving very fast and did not realize that they had hit her dog.”

“She told me she began yelling due to her dog having been hit and the driver, unknowingly, backed up to find out why she was yelling and that’s when the dog was hit again,” Haisten described.

The video posted to social media, which has been shared thousands of times, begins after the dog had already been run over and was writhing in pain in the roadway.

As loud music blares in the background a distraught woman can be heard screaming at the driver of a black Mercedes-Benz.

Not knowing what the woman was screaming about, the driver can then be seen backing up so he could hear her, at which time the dog was run over a second time.

After the conclusion of the investigation, Animal Services Director Julie Bank weighed in on the subject, saying, “We already know that this footage has been viewed by tens of thousands of people, but we want to ensure the public that we investigated the matter fully.”

“Of course, we feel terrible about the poor dog and our hearts go out to the pet’s owner,” Bank continued. “But it’s important to note that this was a very unfortunate accident.”

See link below for Animal Control’s news release:

Riverside County Department of Animal Services Press Release

Editor’s Note: Although video of this incident can be viewed online, RCNS chose not to include the clip due to its graphic and sensitive nature. Viewer discretion is advised.
-TM

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 29 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 16 grandchildren.