An arrest warrant was issued for a 44-yearold Elk City man on May 31 in the Beckham County District Court.
If convicted, David Lee Castro faces up to a $5,000 fine, five years in prison, or both. Just 21 days before this newest charge against Castro was filed, he was released from the Beckham County Detention Center for a charge of tampering with utilities. The investigation into the newest charge, animal cruelty, began at approximately 2 pm on May 22 when Elk City Police Department officers arrived at a condemned house on the 400 block of North Main Street.
The officers were there about a standby for PSO, the electricity provider for that area.
After PSO disconnected their equipment, the ECPD officers entered the home to inform the alleged “squatters” occupying the condemned structure that they needed to evacuate.
The house was scheduled to be destroyed that day.
Castro was allegedly among the people inside the home.
When told of the scheduled demolition, he reportedly left on his bicycle.
Officers then went through the home to ensure everyone had evacuated before the demolition began when they allegedly found a small dog named Aquila.
“I observed the dog had a large growth hanging from her belly, the back half of her body appeared to be covered in scabs and missing fur, her movement was sluggish and she was walking with a slight limp. The dog was unleashed and standing in the front yard of the property,” the reporting officer wrote.
Animal Control was dispatched to the location to assist.
The reporting officer reportedly learned that animal control had been attempting to speak to Castro about the dog’s welfare for months but that Castro had refused.
On May 23, the reporting officer met with the ECPD animal control officer at a veterinary clinic. The vet determined the dog had one larger tumor and several smaller tumors. The sparse hair and scabs were reportedly due to mange.
The vet felt the dog’s ribs and reportedly said that she believed the dog had a broken and recalcified rib or another tumor.
The vet allegedly told the officer that the growth would have grown at a slow rate, giving the dog’s owner time to seek treatment, and stated that the tumor on her belly was likely painful.
