75-Year-Old Faces Seven-Year Sentence After Crushing Puppy
A federal charge for animal crushing has been filed against an Anaheim woman who allegedly lured a pit bull mix with food before driving over it in September.
By Olivia Barnes ·
Hanh Minh Nguyen, 75, of Anaheim, was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday for the federal felony of animal crushing. The charge stems from an incident last month in which the woman allegedly ran over a nine-month-old pit bull mix named Blackey in Santa Ana. The offense carries a statutory maximum sentence of seven years in federal prison.
According to investigators, Nguyen drove her Honda Odyssey to a Santa Ana neighborhood on September 8. She exited the vehicle carrying the puppy and placed the animal beneath the car. Dog food was sprinkled near the driver's side door to attract the dog. As Blackey approached the food, Nguyen slowly drove forward, intentionally running over the puppy. The Justice Department described the act as subjecting the animal to extreme physical pain and death.
Santa Ana police tracked Nguyen down using automated license plate reader technology. When officers arrived at her home, she admitted to owning and abandoning the dog. The department credited the use of ALPR technology with helping detectives identify the vehicle and locate the suspect, bringing accountability for the incident that occurred on September 8.
An autopsy confirmed that the puppy’s cause of death was a crushed skull, which resulted in complete brain damage. The Justice Department stated that the animal was alive for several minutes after the incident and suffered severe pain before dying. Nguyen is also facing local misdemeanor charges for animal cruelty and abandonment in Orange County.
First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said, “Luring a defenseless puppy with food only to crush him beneath a vehicle is an act of appalling cruelty.” His office is enforcing the federal Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, known as the PACT Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in 2019 during his first term. The federal government is using the statute to prosecute the case.
Nguyen will make her initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana in the coming weeks. The court will hear the federal felony charge of animal crushing. The local misdemeanor proceedings in Orange County remain separate from the federal case.
Source: KNBC
