Prosecutors: Pet owner dragged puppy behind his ATV

Jeremy Roebuck

EDINBURG — Heriberto Zamora Jr. never thought twice about walking his golden retrievers on a leash while zooming through Weslaco’s streets on an all-terrain vehicle.

The dogs liked to chase after him, he told jurors Tuesday, and he thought they could keep up — that is, until July 20, 2008, when his youngest pup, Ken, stumbled and was dragged several feet behind his four-wheeler.

A neighbor saw the bleeding pet strung along after the vehicle that day and called police, landing Zamora in jail on animal cruelty charges.

"It’s not what it looks like," the 26-year-old testified Tuesday in the first day of his jury trial. "An accident happened. I swear to God."

As jurors are expected to reconvene today, they face tough questions over whose characterization of Zamora to believe: his own or that of prosecutors who describe him as a cruel pet owner who allegedly took pleasure in abusing his pet.

Several of his neighbors testified that they saw Zamora laughing as he raced past their homes — near the intersection of Texas Boulevard and West 18th Street on the city’s south side — with his dog in tow.

"Why would someone who’s just going to walk a dog get on a motorized vehicle — an ATV — in the first place?" said Hidalgo County Assistant District Attorney Marian Swanberg, while cross-examining Zamora on Tuesday. "I say you got on there because you enjoy dragging your dog. You were smiling — just like you’re smiling now."

Weslaco police arrested Zamora minutes after receiving a call from neighbors. Officers testified Tuesday that while they never witnessed the alleged dragging, they arrived at his home to find the 4-month-old golden retriever shaken, bloody and scraped.

"The dog was kind of shaking — like he was scared," said Lt. Juan Hernandez. "You could see some fresh scrapes all over his body."

Zamora, too, showed signs of the injuries his pet had sustained, Hernandez said. His jeans and T-shirt were "saturated" in blood.
But his defense team maintained those stains came from their client’s efforts to rescue his pet. As soon as he noticed the puppy dragging behind the ATV,

Zamora pulled over, wrapped the bloody animal up in his shirt, and took him back to his house to seek care, he told jurors. He never had a chance to call a veterinarian before officers showed up at his door. His arrest further delayed his chance to seek medical attention for the animal until after a local animal shelter had already seized his pet.

"I completely understand," he said, in reference to his neighbors’ reaction. "Had I thought I saw something like that, I probably would have been angry, too."

Both sides concluded testimony Tuesday and are scheduled to present closing statements to jurors this morning. If convicted, Zamora could face up to a year in the county jail and a fine of up to $4,000.

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Source: http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/common/printer/view.php?db=brownsville&id=108132

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