Landlords conspired to kill, dump tenant’s 4 puppies, Northern California sheriff says

Northern California authorities, investigating the death of four puppies, arrested two property owners accused of enlisting help to kill their tenant’s dogs.

Shasta County sheriff deputies found a five-month-old German Shepard dogs dead from “apparent” gunshot wounds on Oct. 3 and thrown along the outskirts of Redding, near Old Oregon Trial and Enterprise Dump Road.

Deputies began to investigate and learned that the puppies belonged to a resident living at a home in the 8000 block of Airport Road. This person had recently been incarcerated, according to a news release.

Property owners of that residence said they enlisted a neighbor’s help to kill the dogs because “they did not wish to care for them,” the release said.

The neighbor, a 24-year-old Redding man, admitted to shooting the puppies, and helping to dump them, deputies said.

Investigators arrested the property owners and alleged shooter on Friday.

The 24-year-old man faces a charges of felony animal cruelty, a misdemeanor charge of disposing an animal carcass near a roadway and a felony conspiracy charge, police said. He’s being held at Shasta County Jail in lieu of $25,000, according to jail records.

The property owners, a 55-year-old Redding man and a 50-year-old Redding woman, face a charge of conspiracy, police said. Both were no longer in jail as of Monday.