Largest-Ever Animal Rescue Operation In LA County Leads To 35 Charges

LOS ANGELES, CA — An Antelope Valley woman who operated an animal rescue where more than 300 animals were found living in severely unsanitary conditions earlier this year has been charged with 35 felony and misdemeanor counts, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Christine De Anda, 57, who operated Rock ‘N’ Pawz, is charged with 12 felony counts of animal cruelty, two felony counts of grand theft of labor and 21 misdemeanor counts, according to prosecutors.

The misdemeanor charges include 12 code enforcement violations, two counts of failure to care for an animal and one count each of failure to provide food and water, injurious conditions, unsanitary conditions in enclosures and operating a kennel without a license.

De Anda is also accused of operating the kennel without required land-use approval and maintaining structures with unpermitted construction, plumbing, electrical and grading work, according to prosecutors.

The case was filed for a warrant. De Anda’s arraignment will be scheduled for a later date at the Antelope Valley Courthouse. Prosecutors have requested bail be set at $914,500, according to the DA's office.

The charges stem from a March 20 search of the Lake Hughes property by Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control and several other county agencies.

Authorities removed more than 300 animals from the property in what animal control officials described as the largest companion-animal search warrant and rescue operation in the department’s history.

The animals were mainly dogs, but also included cats, a pig, a rabbit, a goose and two goats, prosecutors said.

Investigators said some of the animals were emaciated, dehydrated or suffering from serious untreated injuries. Animals were also found living in their own waste or confined in small crates without enough room to lie comfortably, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

One cat found dead on the property had suffered from starvation and dehydration, prosecutors said.

“For someone who calls herself an animal rescuer, there’s a fundamental responsibility to protect and care for the animals entrusted to her,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement.

Hochman said De Anda allegedly continued taking in animals despite repeated warnings and citations from the county and an inability to properly care for the growing number of animals.

Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control Director Marcia Mayeda said some of the animals could not be saved because of the severity of their illnesses and injuries.

“Our teams have worked tirelessly to stabilize them, provide the medical care they needed, and help them recover,” Mayeda said.

The March raid placed additional pressure on Los Angeles County’s already crowded animal shelter system. At the time, county officials said 250 dogs and 66 cats had been rescued from the property, with more than 100 animals taken to the county shelter in Downey.

Animal welfare groups responded by helping move existing shelter animals to create space for the rescued pets. Days after the raid, Wings of Rescue and Paws for Life K9 Rescue flew about 100 dogs already housed in Southern California shelters to the Chicago area for adoption.

If convicted as charged, De Anda faces up to 24 years and six months in state prison.