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Brunette Sentenced to Jail Time, Restitution for Dog Abuse
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Brunette Sentenced to Jail Time, Restitution for Dog Abuse
With Conviction, Boulder Creek Man to Pay $150,000 in Restitution
By Linda Fridy
The Boulder Creek man convicted of animal neglect after more than 50 dogs were seized from his property in summer 2008 was sentenced to one year in jail on Jan. 22. Robert Brunette, now 46, will also be prohibited from owning dogs and must pay the Santa Cruz County Animal Services Agency nearly $150,000 in restitution.
Brunette will be credited with the time he has already served in jail and will be on probation for five years following his release. He also must undergo counseling.
Brunette could have been sentenced to state prison, but Judge Paul Marigonda preferred to keep Brunette within the local system, especially for his probation, a decision Animal Services General Manager Henry Brzezinski appreciated.
"Our greatest concern is a person's potential to go back to the same type of behavior. We'll have some type of oversight over Mr. Brunette," he said.
Claims made by Brunette that his breed was extinct added to Brzezinski's concerns, he said.
Brunette said that he was attempting to develop a new breed of guard dog from cane corso, Rottweiler and others, but when a neighbor's tip uncovered flea-infested, undernourished dogs, some penned without access to food or water, officials seized the dogs over several days.
They ranged in age from newborn pups to dogs more than 10 years old.
"I certainly think the amount of time [Brunette will serve in jail] is justified," said Brzezinski.
After first attempting to represent himself in court, Brunette then hired an attorney. The jury took less than three hours to return a guilty verdict in December.
Animal Services spent tens of thousands of dollars on veterinary care and socialization of the dogs, according to the county-sponsored organization. Some of the dogs had to be euthanized, while others were eventually adopted.
"In my more than 20 years experience, this was financially the largest undertaking and investigation I've ever been involved in," said Brzezinski, noting that the number of dogs was so large that the agency had to pay for outside boarding kennels.
The agency was still located in Scotts Valley at the time of the incident, but has since moved to new headquarters in Live Oak.
Whether the agency will receive the full restitution remains to be seen. Brzezinski said in his experience, most fines are put on a payment plan during the probationary period.
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