The San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office has this caption on the front page of their website: 

EQUAL JUSTICE FOR ALL

Does that include dispensing justice to people who commit the heinous crime of animal torture?

On the morning of December 2, 2022, a woman was driving down the road, and spotted driving a Chevrolet Tahoe through a rural neighborhood, with a dog tied by its neck to the rear bumper.  The poor dog was being dragged.  She warned another neighbor coming down the road about the vehicle and the dog, and went to call 911. 

The woman taking her child to school spotted the Tahoe, pulled up to the vehicle, and observed the driver standing at the back of the Tahoe, untying a rope from the bumper. The rope was still tied around the dog's neck.   As soon as the party driving the Tahoe saw the woman, she rushed away from her rear bumper, and got into her Tahoe.  

Quote from the woman who witnessed this: 

"She was disgusting. Like the lowest form. She said, 'I didn't tie that, somebody must have tied that dog to my bumper.' We started going back and forth, and she said she had to go to work and to get out of her way. She kept saying, 'You want a dog? You got a dog. Take the dog,'" 

She had approached the driver first, because she thought the dog had died. Not only did the driver of the Tahoe drag the dog, she abandoned it on the side of the road.   The woman who witnessed then saw that dog sit up and move!

This Good Samaritan wasn't going to abandon this battered dog.  She first took the dog to a local veterinarian, but the veterinarian couldn't take the dog without a responsible party.  She then drove the dog to Town of Apple Valley Animal Services.  They took custody of the dog and rushed her to the veterinarian immediately.  

In the meantime, photos that were taken at the scene of the woman, her vehicle, and of the dog's horrific injuries were circulated among the local community, and the driver of the Tahoe was identified within hours.  The Tahoe, with the same license plate number in the photographs taken at the scene, was found sitting in her driveway. 

This poor dog, bloodied, broken, abandoned, and left for dead was named "Hope." 

Local residents started fundraisers to help the shelter pay for what would be extensive and expensive veterinary care, due to the severity of Hope's numerous injuries.

Much of the 1.6 miles Hope was dragged is a dirt road with severe wash boarding, and a set of railroad tracks, The last 2/10 of a mile is pavement.  Hope had massive amounts of gravel embedded in her badly torn skin and muscles. Much of her skin was gone altogether. 

The party who committed this felony act of animal cruelty under California law has not been charged with any crime.  It's as if this never incident never took place.  

Hope's injuries were so horrific that her story made not only local but national news.  The photos of Hope were so graphic that all of the news agencies blurred them. 

The local community is outraged that such a heinous, premeditated act has been ignored, especially since the perpetrator and the vehicle she was driving were positively identified very quickly.

There is no way "a neighbor" or "someone" walked all the way into her property to tie Hope to the back of the Tahoe, as was claimed. There is only space to back straight out because she doesn't back in, she pulls in. Had she backed out, she'd have run over the dog in her own driveway. 

SOURCES:

Good Samaritan Helps Rescue Dog Who Was Tied to Car and Dragged Around Neighborhood​

Dog Suffers Horrific Injuries After Allegedly Dragged by Car in California​

Dog dragged by driver in Apple Valley​

Dog rescued after it was spotted being dragged by truck in Apple Valley, neighbors say​

Dog dragged from Chevy Tahoe in Apple Valley

There have been countless tears, sleep lost, and tremendous anger over this issue, yet nothing has been done by the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office.  That makes this issue even worse.

It is unbearable for the residents of this rural, unincorporated neighborhood east of Apple Valley, California to see this woman who has a previous criminal record, driving to and from her home every day, like nothing ever happened while her victim (Hope) suffered unspeakable agony from the cruelty she experienced at this woman's hands. The residents of this community are also victims.  It's bad enough knowing his happened just beyond our front doors.  It's awful to know it hasn't been taken seriously.  We can't stand the inaction any longer.  We've prayed, we've hoped.  This is like a black cloud over our little neighborhood.

Many dug deep into their pockets to donate whatever they could, to try to "right" the horrible "wrong" that was purposely done to Hope.

Nearby counties take animal cruelty and abandonment seriously, and act upon it quickly.  

A man caught on a video camera throwing a dog over a fence was taken seriously in Riverside County, just weeks after Hope was dragged and abandoned.  The man was identified quickly and was charged with felony animal cruelty and animal abandonment.  The video of him hurling the dog over the fence was seen by authorities on January 5th, 2023.  The man was identified and placed in custody by January 13th, 2013, just 8 days later.

Source: Man Accused of Hurling Dog Over Fence in Riverside County Arrested

Why isn't that happening in unincorporated San Bernardino County?   Why doesn't what happened to Hope matter, and why aren't people who commit felony crimes against animals taken seriously?  This act of cruelty has left a deep scar within a close-knit community that prides itself on taking care of its own.

We demand that the perpetrator of this crime be charged with all applicable crimes under California Penal Code 597 (Felony Animal Cruelty) and Penal California Penal Code 597s: (Willful Abandonment of an Animal)

No plea-bargain is acceptable for such a heinous crime.  In addition to full sentencing, the perpetrator should receive the maximum fine, and required to reimburse the animal shelter for the many thousands of dollars spent in veterinary care.

Local residents will accept nothing less!! 

The perpetrator should also face a lifetime ban from keeping or owning an animal of any species in her home.  

Thank you for taking the time to read this.  

Hope deserves justice, and so does this local, rural community.  Residents pay for and deserve to see their taxpayer dollars being spent on prosecuting those who cause unspeakable harm to the innocent. 

Thank you.