Police arrest Modesto man suspected of beating his girlfriend’s dog to death
A Modesto man has been arrested on suspicion of beating his girlfriend’s dog to death while she was at work Saturday.
The woman returned to the apartment she shared with her boyfriend in the 3600 block of Prescott Road just before 8 p.m. to find blood throughout, including on her boyfriend, said Modesto Police Department spokeswoman Sharon Bear.
Bear said the woman asked her boyfriend, who was intoxicated, where the dog was and he claimed he couldn’t find it.
The woman searched the apartment and then went outside, where she found the dog, a small Schnauzer mix, dead inside a box by the front door.
Police were called to the home and found a plastic bucket with blood on it that they believe the boyfriend used to beat the dog to death, Bear said.
The couple had taken the dog in as a stray a few months ago, Bear said.
It is unknown what precipitated the attack, but the boyfriend, identified as 38-year-old Roneil Anand Prasad, has been arrested for violent crimes in the past.
He was on probation for domestic assault against his girlfriend and two felony DUIs, Bear said.
Prasad was at the apartment when officers arrived and was arrested without incident. He was booked on suspicion of animal cruelty with an enhancement for using a weapon, probation violation and violating a court order, which was not to strike, harass or destroy his girlfriend’s property.
The bail schedule for animal cruelty is $10,000, but due to the suspect’s violent history and the seriousness of the offense, the officer sought a bail increase from a judge, Bear said. The judge granted the request and set Prasad’s bail at $500,000.
“The Modesto Police Department is going to work in conjunction with the (Stanislaus County) DA’s Office to address the court regarding how low the bail is for this specific crime,” Bear said.
