Details emerge in alleged animal cruelty case in Kern Place

Vandals hit the home of an alleged dog abuser in Kern Place.

The home had “PETA” and “KILLR” painted on it last weekend.

Home video shot by one of the neighbors allegedly shows 61-year-old Carlos Fernandez abusing a puppy. Allegations swirling around the neighborhood are that Fernandez would get free puppies on Craigslist and abuse them.

ABC-7 now has specifics on one charge filed against Fernandez and the new information has animal lovers cringing.

A neighbor ABC-7 spoke with Monday wasn’t surprised by what we found in the arrest affadavit. He said he’s been witnessing strange things from the man who lives in this house for quite some time.

“I saw him walking up the street with a collar and no dogs and I asked him what was going on and he said he let the dog go at Madeline Park and he was looking for it,” said a Kern Place neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation. “Another time, he was walking down the middle of the street here in Kern and there was a little puppy that he didn’t have on a leash and it was about 25 or 30 yards behind him and it was 10:30 or 11 o’clock at night.”

The same neighbor showed ABC-7 a decomposing carcas of a dog behind the back wall of Fernandez’s home.

According to the arrest affidavit, last Tuesday, Fernandez was on the roof of his home on Mesita Street when his three-month old german shepherd puppy started barking at him. For some reason, he brought the dog onto the steep roof and the dog fell off when he turned his back.

The affadavit reads: “Animal Control transported the injured dog to a local vet and later seized it. according to the vet. The dog was in shock, needed shock doses of fluid and had deep pain in all four limbs.”

“I don’t know if anybody would have a dog on the roof in the first place, actually,” said the neighbor. “If you have a puppy, most people are pretty careful about how they take care of a puppy when you first get it. I don’t know. I can’t imagine what could happen to a puppy to do that to them. We’re just worried what’s going to happen if he ends up back in the house. I don’t know what then.”

Animal Services told ABC-7 a puppy taken from this home in September was turned over to the Humane Society and successfully adopted. But the puppy that fell off the roof last week was not so lucky. According to Animal Services he was unresponsive after the fall and put down last Thursday.