Two of District Attorney John Sarsfield’s dogs were poisoned
with either antifreeze or arsenic at his home Monday, and police
are investigating whether there is any connection to the
prosecutor’s job.
Two of District Attorney John Sarsfield’s dogs were poisoned with either antifreeze or arsenic at his home Monday, and police are investigating whether there is any connection to the prosecutor’s job.
Sarsfield, who is facing a potential recall and a heated political battle over the contested District 5 supervisor race, reacted angrily Wednesday.
“Whoever did this is a coward. It’s one thing to have political differences with me – politics is just a game – it’s another thing to kill a little girl’s dog,” he said. “They’re the worst form of pond scum.”
Police are investigating whether there may be a political connection to the poisonings, but have no suspects.
“The District Attorney of San Benito County is going to have plenty of enemies, so who knows,” Detective Sgt. Arnie Weathers said. “I need a lot more information before I can come up with a conclusion.”
Sarsfield believes he knows why the poisonings occurred.
“I think it was done because your newspaper has whipped people into an insane frenzy,” he said.
Sarsfield’s 1-year-old Border Collie named Whisper, which died late Tuesday night, and a 14-year-old Brittany Spaniel named Sundance that was put to sleep Wednesday evening, were poisoned sometime Monday, said Dr. Jerry Leroux, a veterinarian at the Hollister Veterinary Clinic.
“It could have been put on their food,” Leroux said. “It’s usually accidental injection because animals don’t mind licking it up – it’s sweet tasting – but there’s no possibility that could have occurred. They had no access to it.”
Both dogs were in the backyard, and someone could have easily thrown something over the fence or gained entry into the backyard to poison the dogs, Sarsfield said.
Whisper was given to Sarsfield’s 8-year-old daughter as a birthday present by a close family friend, he said. She, along with the entire family, was distraught when they found out what happened, he said.
“I told her the truth, that somebody killed her dog,” Sarsfield said. “She couldn’t talk.”
Leroux believes the dogs ingested the poison sometime around noon on Monday, because when Sarsfield brought them in Tuesday around 8 a.m., the Border Collie couldn’t stand and both dogs were exhibiting signs of extreme illness. Antifreeze poisoning is treatable if it’s caught in time, he said.
“We ran a whole batch of tests on both dogs… It does a number on the kidneys – we knew when we ran a blood test they were in trouble,” he said. “We assumed there was some pain, and we did administer pain medication.”
Sarsfield called the Hollister Police Department around 2 p.m. on Tuesday to report the matter after receiving a diagnosis from Leroux, Weathers said.
Police have no leads but are investigating the incident as a felony cruelty to animals, Weathers said. Whether the incident occurred because of Sarsfield’s political involvement is part of the department’s investigation, Weathers said.
Police are asking that anyone with information surrounding the incident contact them immediately.
Sarsfield gave a statement to the police, but will not prosecute the case if a suspect is found, he said.
“It would have to be the AG (Attorney General), no question about that,” he said. “Someone knows who did this and they need to come forward.”
Supervisor-elect Jaime De La Cruz, who could face felony charges of elections fraud brought against him by Sarsfield in regard to the District 5 race, was shocked when he heard the news. He questioned the state of mind of an individual who could do such a thing.
“I hope it’s a random situation… I hope for the community’s best interest that it’s not going in that direction, because it would take this to another level,” De La Cruz said. “Anybody who would do that is not my friend, is not my supporter.”
Anyone with information concerning the incident can contract Detective Sgt. Arnie Weathers at the Hollister Police Department at (831) 636-4330.
