San Carlos man gets two year jail term in animal neglect plea deal

When officers entered Larson’s empty Brittan Avenue home Aug. 13, 2017, a female pit bull was found in a closed bathroom with 3 inches of feces and urine covering the floor. Four, aggressive male pit bulls that appeared very dirty were also found in his home, which contained no sanitary food or water for the pets, according to prosecutors.

Close to two weeks later, the Sheriff’s Office responded to a call and found Larson at his home, which had been red-tagged after officers’ earlier investigation. Previously on probation for possessing a pit bull that bit an elderly man last year, Larson told officers he had until midnight to visit his home but they said he was not supposed to be there, according to prosecutors.

While they were talking, officers heard a dog barking and asked Larson if the barking was coming from his property. He said the barking was coming from a neighbor’s dog, but when officers checked his backyard, they found another pit bull abandoned in a kennel without food and with a serious skin irritation around its neck, according to prosecutors.

The sixth dog was not found when officers previously searched Larson’s property. A Taser, which Larson was prohibited from possessing due to a previous misdemeanor conviction, was also found in his car, according to prosecutors.

All six animals were taken into the custody of the Peninsula Humane Society but have not been available for adoption as Larson’s court case was adjudicated. He will next appear in court Dec. 7 for a hearing on the abatement of the animals, which will determine whether the Peninsula Humane Society has the right to figure out where the dogs will go, according to prosecutors.

Larson’s defense attorney Justin Goodwin said the charges Larson was facing and pleaded to would not have held up in a trial, and that he pleaded to a reduced charge in the hopes of a better outcome for his dogs. Goodwin said they are working toward getting the dogs released from the Peninsula Humane Society, and that the dogs never went without food or water.

“I am confident that the charges would not have been proven in trial,” he said. “Javier loved those dogs more than anything.”

anna@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 106