Law enforcement officials in Riverside County are seeking felony charges against a man suspected of strangling a small dog and slamming it to the ground.
On July 24, Riverside County Animal Services officers responded to a home on Calle Techa in Coachella for a report of animal cruelty.
Officers found a 6-month-old terrier mix that had suffered a fractured leg when Oscar Jesus Romero Moreno, 33, allegedly picked the dog up by its neck, strangled it and slammed the dog on the ground before tossing it about 15 feet into a wrought iron fence.
The dog was taken from the property and impounded at a Riverside County facility where he was X-rayed and began receiving treatment for his injuries. The dog, Oreo, is receiving “extra comfort” from an employee at the shelter, officials said.
Riverside County Animal Services said the officer who initially responded for the animal cruelty investigation also believed a woman on the property may have been the victim of domestic violence.
Last week, Moreno was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty, domestic violence and child endangerment.
Days later, Animal Services submitted the results of its investigation to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department to combine the allegations against Moreno and request the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office to consider felony animal cruelty charges in addition to the other charges he is likely facing.