Scottsdale man arrested in New Mexico after missing animal cruelty sentencing hearing
A Scottsdale man accused of felony animal cruelty was found in New Mexico after failing to appear at his sentencing hearing on July 30, police said.
In June 2023, a husky puppy was found dead and discarded in an alley near Miller Road and Latham Street, police said. The puppy appeared to have had its mouth taped shut, police noted.
During an investigation, detectives found surveillance video showing 35-year-old Lester Richmond's car in the alley during the time the puppy was left there, police said. Richmond was then identified as the registered owner of the dog.
Detectives later found video surveillance of Richmond and 32-year-old Heather Auditor talking about getting rid of the puppy, police said.
Richmond and Auditor were arrested during a traffic stop on July 20, 2023. Richmond was booked and held in custody at a Maricopa County jail on suspicion of one count of animal cruelty, police said.
He had been out of custody since April 15, 2024, when he was placed on supervised release, Scottsdale police officials noted.
Richmond failed to appear for his sentencing hearing at the Maricopa County Superior Court on July 30 after taking a plea deal for an animal cruelty felony charge, police said. On August 1, a Maricopa County Attorney's Office detective was informed that Richmond and Auditor were at a truck stop in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Richmond was found and arrested by Las Cruces Police Department and is awaiting extradition back to Arizona.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Scottsdale man missed sentencing, arrested in New Mexico
