KING COUNTY, Wash. —A former employee of a Ballard dog kennel, 20-year-old Dejean Bowens, pleaded not guilty to a first-degree animal cruelty charge in King County Superior Court on Monday.
Prosecutors allege Bowens attacked a dog, leading to its death in early August. The dog, a 6-year-old black lab named Mitch, was under Bowen’s care at the time of the incident at the Lazy Dog, Crazy Dog Kennel in Ballard. According to court documents. Mitch’s owners, Neela and Anthony Brocato, were in court as Bowens appeared in court for the first time.
“It was incredibly hard seeing him in court today. But justice for Mitch is most important. So it was not a question of whether we’re going to be here. Despite it being, you know, tough to, tough to relive for sure,” said Neela Brocato.
She described Mitch as “The sweetest, most loving dog and just creature that brought joy to everyone’s lives and everyone he touched.” She expressed the family’s devastation, saying, “This just senseless act of violence has just been earth-shattering for us.”
The couple boarded Mitch while they awaited the birth of their first child.. “We were just so looking forward to him meeting his baby sister who was born just three days before he was kicked to death,” said Neela, “So that was such a thing that I was looking forward to and I do feel like it robbed us a lot of the joy that we should have experienced those first couple days and weeks after our daughter was born.”
Court documents reveal that Bowens became irritable with Mitch after the dog knocked something over. Surveillance video allegedly shows Bowens kicking and punching Mitch as the dog tried to cower under a table. Bowens reportedly brought Mitch to an emergency vet more than an hour later, but attempts at CPR failed.
Anthony Brocato recounted the moment he received the call about Mitch’s condition, saying, “I had boarded Mitch on Wednesday and we were gonna pick him up on Sunday and then we did get the call on Sunday morning just a few hours before we were supposed to get him, pick him up and have him meet his little sister that he was in critical condition and then die.”
Bowens is due back in court on Nov. 26. Animal cruelty convictions carry a maximum penalty of five years in jail and a fine.
“We are heartbroken and outraged by what happened. The actions of this former employee are in complete violation of our values, our mission, and the standard of care we’ve upheld for over 16 years while serving tens of thousands of dogs,” the post continued.The judge ordered electronic home monitoring for Bowens. He is due back in court on Nov. 26. Animal cruelty convictions carry a maximum penalty of five years in jail and a fine.
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