A 30-year-old Weslaco woman is charged with animal cruelty after police found her dog tied to a tree and dead.
Officers arrested Stephanie Yerit Reveles on Monday on a charge of animal cruelty.
Police responded to her residence in the 200 block of South Tio Street to assist animal control regarding a case of animal cruelty.
The animal control officer told police that she needed to access the property to recover a dead dog, according to an arrest affidavit.
“Officer Vega walked around the residence and observed the deceased dog. Officer Vega was able to see flies around the deceased dog as it was located near a trampoline,” the affidavit stated. “The deceased dog was also tied up to a tree.”
A neighbor told police he had not seen anyone at the residence for about a week and added that he last saw the homeowner being taken by ambulance the previous week, according to the affidavit.
He told officers the dog was alive on Sunday and barking but when he got home Monday the dog was dead.
During the investigation, officers were able to identify Reveles as the homeowner because there was a previous call for service regarding a foot injury and the reporting party provided a phone number.
Officers called the number and Reveles answered, according to the affidavit.
“Reveles stated she was out of town and left a friend in charge of providing care for her dog,” the affidavit stated. “Reveles also stated she was out of town, but she would take care of the dead animal.”
Police, however, informed her that they considered her home a crime scene and needed to recover the dog because an offense report would be filed.
“Reveles stated she would get a hold of someone to open the gate for them, but she never called back to resolve the issue,” the affidavit stated.
Police then cut the chain on her fence and as they walked toward the dog, they reported smelling a foul odor.
“Officer Vega also noticed there was a bowl of dark green water which contained dead insects,” the affidavit stated. “Officer Pemelton noticed the same bowl of water was almost empty.”
There was also another bowl, which did not contain dog food, according to police.
As the crime scene unit responded and began photographing the area, police say Reveles arrived and became confrontational and irate because they were on her property, according to the affidavit.
“Reveles was asked as to why she made a false claim of being out of town,” the document stated. “Reveles stated she was out of town, but she was nearby.”
Officers also told Reveles to stay away from the crime scene, but she refused to comply and had to be told several times, according to police.
She was then arrested and told officers that she had the dog for approximately six years and that it didn’t have any medical conditions.
Reveles bailed out of the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center Wednesday on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond, jail records indicate.
