Rescue Group Helps Find Clue In Sexual Abuse, Death Of Pit Bull

LOS ANGELES, CA — An animal rescue group helped police catch a break in the disturbing case of the sexual abuse and brutal death of a pit bull dumped in South Los Angeles this week.

The five-year-old, gray and white dog named Valerie was found dying in a South Los Angeles neighborhood Aug. 6, and witnesses told police they saw two men dump her there. Her injuries were to severe for her to be saved.

Now, an Orange County group, Ghetto Rescue, is helping authorities piece together Valerie's sad story. The Anaheim Hills-based group was called after the dog was found. They took her to a nearby vet, who was able to identify her thanks to a tracking chip embedded in her. They discovered Valerie was adopted from the Orange County Animal Care shelter on July 23. She had been in the shelter for three months.

Now the Los Angeles Police Department has opened a criminal investigation into the sexual assault and battery of the dog.

"A crime report has been taken and a search warrant has been served," LAPD Det. Al Erkelens, who leads the department's Animal Cruelty Task Force, told the Orange County Register.

"There are two possible crimes, bestiality which is a misdemeanor, and intentional injury to the dog that was meant to inflict pain, suffering or death to the dog," Erkelens said last week. "If (someone) did something to cause the aorta to rupture, that is a felony."

Erkelens said his unit responds to less than 10 cases of bestiality a year.

"Sexual assaults with dogs does occur," he said. "Most cases are reported either because they are seen or someone tells someone about it."

OC Animal Care officials issued a statement saying they were cooperating with the police investigation, and said the unidentified person who adopted Valerie will not be permitted to adopt any more animals.

"The OC Animal Care shelter does not discriminate against those wishing to adopt unless they are suspected of or have been convicted of animal offenses," according to the agency. "We utilize information about investigations from our own animal control as well as other law enforcement agencies to make this determination. We take the safety of all animals in our care seriously and, as a result of the circumstances surrounding Valerie's death, the individual who adopted Valerie is now ineligible for future adoptions at our shelter."

City News Service and Patch staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.