Suspect arrested for brutal torture of stolen pit bull in Soledad
UPDATE: 3/29/2018 10:54 a.m. The suspect in the brutal torture of a stolen pit bull out of Soledad is in custody.
Devonte Sirwet was arrested early Thursday morning in Salinas. After following several leads deputies found the suspect’s car in the Walmart parking lot and later found him in Chinatown with illegal drugs.
On March 27, an American Pit bull named “Kato” was found severely burned on Metz Road just outside the city limits of Soledad. The dog was transported to a nearby hospital and had to be euthanized due to the severity of his injuries. He suffered burns to more than 90 percent of his body.
“The pain and terror this poor dog endured must have been unimaginable,” says Beth Brookhouser, SPCA Director of Community Outreach. “No living being should ever suffer like that. We are thankful to the Monterey County Sherriff’s Office for locating the suspect, and thankful to our community for the outpouring of support over this horrific case of animal cruelty.”
Sirwet was booked into Monterey County Jail for animal theft, animal cruelty, arson, and possession of controlled substances.
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A stolen dog was found severely burned outside the city limits of Soledad.
A Soledad Police Officer located the burned black and white American Pit bull on Metz Road around 9:30 a.m. on March 27.
The SPCA for Monterey County said, the dog was taken to a nearby veterinarian hospital and euthanized for humane reasons.
The dog’s owners, the Espinoza Family told KION they noticed his dog, “Kato” had been missing since Tuesday morning. He said Kato was a friendly pet.
They added, “”It devastated us. My kids could not go to school today. They were… I asked them if they were sure and they said they didn’t want to go to school and then start getting all emotional. It’s devastating. I mean, I work graveyard and it was a hard night for me last night. Whoever did do this, I hope they pay for their crime. He’s part of our family. He was a lovable, big old baby!”
The SPCA is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.
The SPCA’s Humane Investigation Unit is taking over the case.
Anyone with information regarding this case should call local law enforcement or the SPCA for Monterey County Humane Investigations.
If you have any information about this case, please call The SPCA at 831-373-2631.
If you’d like to report something about this case or any other animal cruelty case, click on this link:
https://www.spcamc.org/humane-investigations/report-cruelty/
