| For Immediate Release Case # 11WF1778
April 26, 2012 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami
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MAN CONVICTED OF ARSON AND ANIMAL CRUELTY FOR SETTING FIRES INSIDE HOME AND KILLING DOG BY SLITTING HIS THROAT
SANTA ANA – A man was convicted today for setting fires inside his Stanton home and killing his dog, Dexter, by poisoning him and slitting his throat. Jaime Arturo Garcia, 31, Stanton, pleaded guilty to the court to one felony count of arson of an inhabited property, one felony count of animal cruelty, and one misdemeanor count of unlawfully causing a fire to property and a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon. He is expected to be sentenced to four years and eight months in state prison at his sentencing on May 8, 2012, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-49, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
On the afternoon of July 24, 2011, Garcia closed all the doors and windows of the Stanton home he shared with his two sisters and set several small fires inside the home by lighting piles of clothing on fire. The fires caused damage to cabinets in the laundry room but did not spread throughout the house. His sisters were not home at the time.
After the fires had burned out, Garcia poisoned his 7-year-old dog Dexter, a dachshund mix, by feeding him various pills. He then used a large kitchen knife and cut Dexter’s throat. The bleeding dog ran around the house and into the bedroom, where he died on Garcia’s bed.
One of Garcia’s sisters returned home to find the house filled with smoke and called 911. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department, who investigated this case, responded to the scene. The Orange County Fire Authority also responded to the scene. Deputies discovered Dexter in the bedroom and his blood on the floors and walls throughout the home.
Garcia was transported to the hospital to be treated for self-inflicted injuries.
Deputy District Attorney Andrew Katz of the Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting this case.
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