Justice for Buddy: Take Action!

Some news items about cruelty to animals are so powerful that they remain circulating around the Internet for many weeks. And while this highly disturbing story was released at the end of December, 2009, it continues to be widely circulated between horrified and enraged animal lovers who are taking action to insure that justice is done! Buddy, a German Shepherd-Blue Heeler mixed breed dog was allegedly brutally killed, by Steven Clay Romero, 37, a resident of Fruita Colorado. Following his arrest, Romero was held at the Mesa County jail without bond over the weekend. His arraignment was scheduled for Monday, January 4 at the Wayne N. Aspinall federal building. According to the news item, Mr. Romero did not understand the allegations, and was "bewildered" by his arrest. Romero is charged with killing a dog by dragging it behind his pickup truck for two miles. A maintenance worker for the Colorado National Monument discovered drag marks and tire tracks in the snow, at around 4:30 a.m., in the area of the Fruita entrance to the park. He found Buddy's body, with a rope tied to his neck, two miles further down the road, according to Romeo's arrest affidavit. Additionally a video surveillance camera clearly showed a double-cab pickup truck entering the park on Wednesday, December 30 at approximately 2:18 in the morning. A dog was in the truck's bed. The truck departed from the park at 2:30 in the morning. A Delta man, according to the affidavit, saw a photograph of the dog which was posted online at GJSentinel.com later on Wednesday morning. He later told authorities that the dog belonged to a friend of his, and that the dog had been stolen the day before from downtown Delta. Information contained in the Delta police report which was also included in the affidavit, stated that a witness took down the license plate of Romeo's truck which tied Romeo to the alleged dog theft. Additionally, when the National Park Service rangers visited Romeo's home, paw prints were found in the snow in his front yard. A neighbor came forward and told the rangers that he observed Romero leave his home at 2:00 in the morning, on Wednesday, December 30, in the company of a dog that was similar to Buddy, the dog in the photograph which was publicized by the Monument staff on Wednesday. Also included in the affidavit, found in Romeo's garage by rangers given permission to search Romeo's home, was rope similar to the rope tied to Buddy. Romero's sister told rangers that the dog was in their home, and Romeo said, "He was going to kill it." The affidavit continued; "She stated he left with the dog late last night and returned home a half hour later without it." However the affidavit does not contain any information about a law enforcement interview with Romeo before his arrest, nor is there mention of the motive for Buddy's torture and ultimate death. According to court records, in the past seven years, Romero has been arrested six times in Grand Junction and Montrose by local police, for a wide variety of charges ranging from trafficking drugs, distributing drugs, and weapons offenses. If convicted of a federal charge of felony cruelty to animals, Romeo faces a maximum of three years imprisonment, a year of mandatory parole and a fine of up to $100,000. For those who are as incensed as thousands of other animal lovers who have expressed their rage over this "alleged" act of cruelty to animals, Care2 has provided a petition to sign online. You can add your signature to the 84,250 already posted. Their goal is to reach at least 100,000 signatures prior to Romero's trial to help make an impact on the outcome. Sign the petition here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/6/demand-justice-for-buddys-killer Photo credit: National Park Service