Aug 4, 2008 6:46 pm US/Pacific
Breeder Accused Of Dog Neglect Pleads Not Guilty
SANTA CRUZ (CBS 5 / BCN) ―
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Robert Brunette.
Santa Cruz County Animal Services
A Santa Cruz-area dog breeder accused of abusing and neglecting dozens of dogs at his kennel pleaded not guilty Monday and was granted supervised release after spending the weekend in jail.
Robert Brunette, 45, was arrested last week on 10 counts of animal cruelty and neglect. Deputy District Attorney Heather Jones said two of the charges are felonies, with the rest being misdemeanors.
Animal control officers said they seized more than 40 abused and negelected dogs from Brunette's rural Boulder Creek property in the Santa Cruz mountains on July 26. Jones said they also found the remains of dogs, including several sun-bleached skulls and a dog's severed head in a tree.
Brunette fled that day and was arrested near Los Gatos High School on Thursday.
The District Attorney's Office expressed disappointment with the judge's decision to grant Brunette's release, but noted that he would not allowed to possess any animals and must give investigators ongoing access to his propety.
In an interview with CBS 5 from the Santa Cruz County Jail on Friday, Brunette had denied the allegations against him and maintained that he took good care of his animals.
Brunette is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 6 for a preliminary hearing in the case. He was to be appointed a public defender for representation.
The living dogs seized from Brunette's property remained under the veterinary care of Santa Cruz County Animal Services, Jones said.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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