A Snohomish County Superior Court judge sentenced an Everett man on Wednesday following a criminal prosecution by Attorney General Bob Ferguson. The judge sentenced Blayne M. Perez to three years of community custody for mental health treatment. If he violates the terms of community custody, the court may send him to prison for three years and four months.
The judge ordered that Perez to pay $9,174 in restitution to the owners of a kitten that Perez shot in the eye and another $1,700 in fines. The judge also imposed a lifetime ban on Perez possessing or residing with any animal, and he must not have contact with the kitten’s owners.
Ferguson filed eight felony criminal charges against Perez in March 2023: seven for first-degree animal cruelty and one charge of first-degree malicious mischief. In October 2023, Perez pleaded guilty to three of those felony counts.
The Attorney General’s Office Environmental Protection Division’s criminal prosecutors recommended Perez serve a prison sentence of three years and four months. They also recommended he pay $1,700 in fines and $9,174 in restitution.
“My office will not stand for cruelty to animals,” Ferguson said. “My office will help protect pets and wildlife through environmental criminal prosecutions like this one.”
Case background
The criminal charges stemmed from a resident’s January 2022 report to Everett police that a neighbor repeatedly shot birds and squirrels then displayed the dead animals around his property. A Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officer responded later and observed Perez shooting from his property into trees and the sky.
In February 2022, police served a search warrant and found numerous animal carcasses on display at the property. Further investigation determined that Perez was deliberately cruel in his treatment of the animals while they were still alive. Necropsies showed that multiple birds died from blunt force trauma inflicted on them after Perez shot their wings, preventing them from escaping.
In April 2022, neighbors reported seeing Perez continue to shoot birds and squirrels around his neighborhood. When officers spoke with neighbors, many said they removed their bird feeders to avoid further animal deaths.
On September 25, 2022, a couple informed Everett police that a man drove by and shot their kitten. A witness saw part of a license plate, which matched a car registered at Perez’s address. Law enforcement also previously observed Perez driving a car matching the witness’ description. Perez was arrested later that day.
The kitten suffered significant injuries, including the loss of an eye, and incurred several thousands of dollars in veterinary bills.
Assistant Attorneys General Scott Halloran and Kelsey Force handled the case for the Attorney General’s Office.
Under state law and the Washington State Constitution, the Attorney General’s Office does not have authority to initiate criminal prosecutions, unless it receives and accepts concurrent authority from a county prosecutor or at the governor’s request. The Attorney General’s Office accepted concurrent authority from the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney in this case.
The Attorney General’s Office’s enforcement of animal cruelty laws is supported, in part, by a grant from the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
Original source can be found here.