Aug 5, 2008 2:51 pm US/Pacific
Dog Breeder Nixes Release Terms, Remains In Jail
SANTA CRUZ (CBS 5 / BCN) ―
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Robert Brunette.
Santa Cruz County Animal Services
Accused animal abuser Robert Brunette, who was expected to be let out of jail Tuesday on his own recognizance, refused to accept the terms of his release and remains behind bars, a deputy district attorney said.
The conditions attached to his release would have prohibited him from keeping animals in his possession while the case is pending, and he would have had to agree to cooperate with authorities in the retrieval of 10 dogs that are believed to still be on his property, said Deputy District Attorney Heather Jones.
It is unclear why he refused the conditions, Jones said. Brunette remains in jail, held on a $100,000 bail, and will appear before Judge Jeff Almquist Wednesday regarding the status of his release.
Brunette pleaded not guilty Monday to 10 counts of animal cruelty and neglect in Santa Cruz County Superior Court. Two of the counts are felonies and the other eight are misdemeanors—four counts of animal neglect and four counts of improper confinement.
Almquist had agreed to release Brunette on his own recognizance after Brunette's court-appointed attorney, Mark Garver, argued that Brunette has no significant criminal record.
Jones argued that although Brunette does not have a lengthy history of serious crime, the charges he faces and the fact that he fled the day he was served with a search warrant should be just cause for keeping him in jail.
Brunette is accused of abusing and neglecting more than 40 dogs on his Boulder Creek property.
On July 26, animal control authorities armed with a search warrant rescued 38 emaciated and abused dogs from Brunette's property. During the search they also found a decapitated dog head, five dog skulls and a dead dog on the roof of the home.
Brunette fled from his home that day, but was arrested Thursday near Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6.
(© 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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.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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