Man Found Guilty of Animal Cruelty

A jury found 31-year-old Eric Reveles of Santa Barbara guilty of charges of misdemeanor animal cruelty. Last April, police officers received numerous 9-1-1 calls about multiple dogs barking aggressively inside of a truck parked on the 600 block of Bath Street.

Officers opened the truck’s doors to find a malnourished female pit bull sitting in feces and urine in the passenger compartment. In the back of the truck, an adult male pit bull was found in a crate covered by a blanket. In the crate next to him, there was another pit bull and five puppies. The crates were covered with feces and urine, and the two male adult pit bulls had blood and fresh wounds, according to the District Attorney’s Office, apparently from fighting with each other. The dogs were in poor condition, and there was no food, water, or adequate ventilation for the dogs. Reveles was found to be the owner of the dogs and the truck, police said.

Animal Control responded and seized the dogs, which were treated at CARE hospital. Animal Control kept the dogs because they were later deemed abandoned. District Attorney Joyce Dudley said that her office is committed to prosecuting offenders who hurt or neglect animals in part because animal abuse can be an indicator or predictor of violent behavior toward family members. Reveles is scheduled to be sentenced on April 22.