Now that the Dallas DA has determined the charges, Acosta will appear before a Grand Jury for Indictment. An Indictment is confirms that there is enough evidence to support the felony charge and opens the path to prosecution. Grand Jury hearings usually happen pretty quickly after charging. Since Acosta’s case has strong evidence, we can expect this case to go to the Grand Jury within 2-3 months. The Public cannot attend a Grand Jury hearing.
If the Grand Jury approves the charges, an Arraignment is held and a judge can change the terms of Acosta’s Bail requirements, if they feel it is necessary.
After Arraignment, the attorneys exchange pre-trial motions while moving toward trial. In Dallas County, the trial is open to the public.
The time between Arraignment and Trial is the most precarious. Right now, felony cruelty cases in Dallas County are taking more than two years to get to trial. Forty percent (40%) of all felony cruelty in Dallas County end in a plea deal before trial.
Plea deals in Dallas County felony cruelty cases are often agreements to lower the charges from felony to misdemeanor, or to accept a guilty charge in exchange for a lesser sentence (mainly community supervision) and occasionally cruelty charges are dismissed in exchange for a guilty plea in other charges.
We want Sebastian Acosta to pay for the crime of killing the Dowdy Ferry Puppies. Plea deals have their place in the justice system but, we want FULL PROSECUTION UNDER THE LAW.
When Mothers Against Drunk Driving began their work in the 1980’s they were fighting a crime that law enforcement and prosecuting attorneys did not take seriously. Drunk driving was considered a minor offense that was largely dismissed in the courts or used as a bargaining chip in plea deals. MADD elevated the seriousness of the crime, and steadily won harsher sentences.
It’s time to draw a line in the sand for animal cruelty. We want animal cruelty cases to be taken seriously and we want them prosecuted to the full extent of the law. It’s time to elevate this heinous crime in the eyes of the public, in the work of law enforcement and in the prosecutorial work of our District Attorney.
How do we get there?
1. Continue pressure on the District Attorney's office to bring the Dowdy Ferry Puppy case to trial.
2. Insist that Dallas County to take their responsibility for animals more seriously by asking them create a lost/found page on the county website. Today, Dallas County Animal Control does NOT list the animals they find in unincorporated Dallas County. This opens the door to criminals to abandon the pets in the county, knowing that they will not be traced back to them.
3. Encourage Dallas County's elected Judges to prohibit contact with animals as a Bail Stipulation in EVERY cruelty case that crosses their bench.
4. Encourage every city in Dallas County to maintain OPEN INTAKE. Shelters the close intake or require appointments for intake discourage people from surrendering their pets which leads to animal abandonment.
For more information a updates, please visit justsavethedog.org