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Animal Cruelty/Arson Arrest
By Santa Paula Police Department — Monday, March 28th, 2016
 Juan Lemus, 29 On March 26, 2016 at approximately 7:52am, Santa Paula police officers were dispatched to the area of the 200 block of March St. for a call of a male subject swinging a rabbit in the air by its ears, and then lighting it on fire. The male subject then fled the area on a bicycle. Officers located a subject matching the suspect's description in the 300 blk S. Steckel Dr. The subject was identified as Juan Lemus, age 29 of Santa Paula. Lemus told officers that he found a rabbit in the street and was already deceased. Lemus told officers that he lit a piece of paper on fire, and not the rabbit. The rabbit was subsequently found in a dirt lot, lying next to a pile of smouldering paper. The rabbit was transported to SPARC for evaluation. The veterinary technicians examined and x-rayed the rabbit. It was determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. Lemus was taken into custody for 597(a)PC- Animal Cruelty, 451PC- Arson, and 459PC- Burglary. Upon being taken into custody, Lemus was found to be in possession of a methamphetamine pipe, and was also charged with 11364(a)HS- Possession of Drug Paraphernelia. An evaluation of Lemus was also conducted to determine if he was under the influence of a controlled substance. The evaluation showed that he was under the influence and was arrested for 11550(a)HS- Being Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance. Lemus was later transported to Ventura County Main Jail. The Santa Paula Police Department would like to thank the Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center for their assistance in this case. Nature of Incident: |
