On July 1, 2022, Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer announced a verdict on an arson and animal cruelty case.
On Thursday, June 30, 2022, a Kern County jury found 37-years-old ORLANDO VELA (pictured) guilty of several felony charges including, animal cruelty, arson, brandishing a deadly weapon at police officers, possession of a dirk or dagger, and using force or violence to resist arrest. Evidence in the trial was presented by Deputy District Attorney Leanne Wilder.
In a press release DA Zimmer said that on the early morning of May 6, 2020, Bakersfield Police officers made contact with VELA near the intersection of Union Avenue and California Avenue in Bakersfield after he had been seen pushing a shopping cart with a dog inside.
The furbaby had been first stabbed by VELA and then set on fire. The furbaby was still engulfed in flames inside the shopping cart.
The Kern County District Attorney’s Office kindly responded to my inquiries about the dog and told me that: “The dog belonged to Vela, and was a female pitbull mix that was about two years old. Unfortunately, the criminal investigation did not divulge the name of the dog, which was something uniquely known to the defendant. The name of the animal was not revealed during the trial proceedings or the criminal investigation – around the office we referred to the dog as “Rover Doe” as we did not know the name that Vela had given the animal.”
When officers attempted to talk to VELA, he was “aggressive, combative, yelling, and refusing all commands.” VELA then showed a 12-inch dagger in a menacing manner towards officers and in an attempt to resist arrest, he “wandered into the traffic lanes near multiple occupied vehicles.”
More officers and Bakersfield Fire Department personnel responded to the scene while VELA ran into parking lot until he was finally handcuffed.
The DA’s office further told me that: “The dog was determined to be deceased by the time the fire was extinguished, though subsequent examination of the remains by a veterinarian established that the dog had not died from the stab wounds before it was lit on fire.”
When I asked DA Zimmer whether there were pictures of the Pitbull I could share, I was told: “Though there were photographs taken during the investigation and subsequent necropsy, the photographs are particularly gruesome and are not the type of material we will distribute. Unfortunately, we do not have photographs of the animal aside from those taken during the criminal investigation after the death.”
District Attorney Zimmer commented on the conviction, stating: ”Dogs will often lay down their lives for their owners, and for a man to return that loyalty by stabbing his dog to death and lighting it on fire displays a level of cruelty seldom seen, and which absolutely will not go unpunished. Vela’s actions are despicable, and this conviction assures that his crimes will be met with a well-deserved prison commitment.”
As indicated in the press release, on July 29, 2022, the matter will go before the Honorable Charles Brehmer for sentencing.
VELA has an extensive criminal history that includes prior convictions for automobile theft, firearms and drug offenses, gang activity, and a 2017 ‘strike’ conviction for assault with a deadly weapon that will be considered by the court in the imposition of the final sentence.
VELA faces a sentence of up to only 31 years in prison.
When VELA is released from prison, he can resume his useless life, the furbaby he stabbed and set on fire will stay dead!
Abusers serve their sentence and then continue with their lives.
Once animals are dead, they remain dead! For this reason, Voice For Us believes that those who kill animals should receive the death penalty. A life for a life!
Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from official news outlets. Link included.
Details may be removed or additional information may be provided in future should such sources report an update.
