Transient Gets 16 Months for Studio City Dog's Death

A 30-year-old transient who stole a van containing a Studio City family’s dog, which was found dead inside the vehicle when it was recovered, was sentenced today to 16 months behind bars.

Danny Fis pleaded no contest to one count each of unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle and cruelty to an animal, according to the District Attorney’s Office. He was immediately sentenced by Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Karen J. Nudell.

Although the sentence is for prison, Fis will serve his time in county jail under the state’s prison realignment system, prosecutors said.

The minivan was stolen around 3 p.m. Aug. 17, 2013, near the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Whitsett Avenue. Nayo Mateo said he had gone into a store to get his wife and young daughter, leaving the van running with the air conditioning on, and when he walked back a minute or two later, the vehicle was gone.

The family’s 10-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, Maru, had been sleeping inside the van. The family had raised the dog from a pup, Mateo said.

The van was found two days later outside the Weddington Golf and Tennis Club. The dog was found dead from heat inside the vehicle, the windows of which were rolled up.

--City News Service

PHOTO Courtesy the Mateo family.