LOS ANGELES, Calif. — A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge intervened Wednesday to preserve a plea offer after prosecutors withdrew it because the accused could not afford the approximately $300 cost of an animal cruelty rehabilitation program required under the agreement.
Judge Deborah A. Horowitz helped preserve the offer, which would allow the accused to have a felony animal cruelty charge reduced to a misdemeanor upon completion of the Benchmark Animal Rehabilitative Curriculum (B.A.R.C.) program.
The accused is charged with one felony count of animal cruelty stemming from an alleged offense on June 1.
Deputy Alternate Public Defender Krista M. Ocon, representing the accused, requested that the preliminary hearing be scheduled for Dec. 8. The accused was present in court and remained out of custody.
Deputy District Attorney Samantha Lonergan briefly addressed Judge Horowitz regarding the conditional plea offer previously extended to the accused.
Lonergan explained that the offer would reduce the accused’s felony charge to a misdemeanor if he completed the B.A.R.C. program for animal cruelty.
However, because the accused had not completed the program, the prosecution withdrew the offer.
Ocon responded that the accused was willing to complete the program but could not afford the approximately $300 fee.
Ocon added that the accused was working with services available through his housing and support system to obtain animal counseling. However, because animal counseling was an unusual request, those efforts had been unsuccessful.
Judge Horowitz asked Ocon whether she wanted to request another preliminary hearing setting to preserve the prosecution’s plea offer.
“I don’t think that the people can leave that offer open,” Ocon replied.
“I’m sure they can, if you put it as a setting,” Horowitz responded.
Horowitz ultimately scheduled the preliminary hearing setting for Dec. 8 to preserve the plea offer previously extended by the prosecution.
Horowitz also referred the accused to the Los Angeles County Justice, Care and Opportunities Department (JCOD) to seek affordable resources for completing the animal cruelty rehabilitation program.
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