The SPCA for Monterey County is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the death of two horses.
On October 17, the SPCA for Monterey County received a report of two deceased horses at a property on Strawberry Road in Royal Oaks, CA. Upon our officer’s arrival that day, she located two badly decomposed horse carcasses inside two separate horse stalls. The caretaker for the two horses was later identified as Benjamin Montano Hernandez.
Hernandez appears to have fled the property and his whereabouts are unknown at this time. Hernandez is a person of interest at this point and the investigation is on-going. He currently has an active arrest warrant for possession of stolen property and driving with a suspended license. Hernandez is described as a 35 year old Hispanic male, 5’11”, weighing approximately 190 lbs, with brown eyes and black hair.
Once the investigation is completed, the case will be sent to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office for review and criminal filing.
If you were a witness to this case, please contact the SPCA at 831-373-2631 or online at www.SPCAmc.org/report-cruelty. All reports are confidential.
The caretaker could potentially be charged with the following offenses: California Penal Code Sections 597.1 (Permitting Animals to go Without Veterinary Care), Penal Code 597 (Animal Cruelty), Penal Code 597(b) (Deprivation of Food, Water, and Shelter), and Penal Code 597s (Abandonment).
To donate to help abused and neglected animals, please call the SPCA at 831-264-5421 or donate online at www.SPCAmc.org.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) for Monterey County is your nonprofit, independent, donor-supported humane society that has been serving the animals and people of Monterey County since 1905. The SPCA is not a chapter of any other agency and does not have a parent organization. They shelter homeless, neglected and abused pets and livestock, and provide humane education and countless other services to the community. They are the local agency you call to investigate animal cruelty, rescue and rehabilitate injured wildlife, and aid domestic animals in distress. Online at www.SPCAmc.org.
