Lester Paul Richmond (Maricopa County Attorney’s Office)
Authorities in Arizona are seeking the public’s assistance in trying to locate a 36-year-old man with a “Pet Friendly” license plate accused of brutally and intentionally torturing a 2-month-old puppy found dead with its mouth taped shut in an alley earlier this year. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced that investigators are searching for Lester Paul Richmond after a grand jury returned a true bill indicting him on one felony count of intentionally subjecting a domestic animal to cruel mistreatment.
The county attorney’s office said that Richmond is facing a class five felony, which is “the highest level of punishment for animal abuse a person can face” in Arizona and carries a maximum sentence of up to two years and six months in a state correctional facility.
Richmond and a 32-year-old woman named Heather Auditor were initially arrested in July for their involvement in the killing and abandoning of the puppy.
According to a news release from the Scottsdale Police Department, the investigation into the duo began when an individual on June 27 called the police station and reported finding a puppy’s body discarded in the back of an alley near Miller Road and Latham Street. Upon arriving at the location, first responders located the deceased animal, which had “its mouth taped shut” and a cord wrapped around its neck.
Police responded with an “extensive investigation” in the days that followed, canvassing the neighborhood, interviewing residents in the area, and searching for surveillance camera footage from the area where the puppy’s body was discovered. Detectives eventually came across footage from a surveillance camera that showed Richmond’s vehicle — which had an Arizona “Pet Friendly” license plate — was in the alley during the time the puppy’s body was discarded.
The “Pet Friendly” license plates are the state’s primary source of funding for the spaying, neutering, and sheltering of animals across Arizona.
Arizona “Pet Friendly” license plate (azpetplates.org)
Investigators quickly identified Richmond as the registered owner of the vehicle.
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“After identifying Richmond as a potential lead, investigators were able to obtain video surveillance of Richmond and Auditor talking about getting rid of the puppy,” police wrote in the release. Both suspects were arrested on July 20.
Phoenix, Arizona CBS affiliate KPHO reported that after the arrests of Richmond and Audit, the case was sent back to police for additional investigation and the suspects were released. Police eventually resubmitted the case to prosecutors and a grand jury in Maricopa County earlier this month indicted Richmond on the animal cruelty charge.
However, since his indictment, authorities have been unable to locate Richmond. The county attorney’s office and the Scottsdale Police Department are urging anyone with knowledge about the case or Richmond’s whereabouts to contact investigators at 480-312-TIPS.
“Cruelty to animals is a senseless and heinous crime. My office takes these crimes very seriously,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement. “It is important that if anyone has any bit of information on this defendant you contact the Scottsdale Police Department.”
In an email to Law&Crime prosecutors said the charges against Audit were dropped and have not been refiled.
“Although the case was referred back to Scottsdale Police for further investigation, MCAO was not able to obtain enough evidence to bring charges,” a spokesperson for the county attorney’s office said. “Thus, we refused prosecution due to no reasonable likelihood of conviction.”
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