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RIO RANCHO, N.M. (KRQE) – A woman accused of abusing a dog she was grooming and taking supplies from her workplace in Rio Rancho had her charges dropped.
Shelia Baca was seen on surveillance video hitting a dog at Pet Paradise in July. “It’s not an easy job. I did slap that dog. But it’s not like I was abusing him; I was making him act right,” Baca told police. Her admission was recorded on police body camera video.
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She was charged with animal cruelty but claimed she called for help because the dog wouldn’t cooperate. The Sandoval County District Attorney’s Office said the animal cruelty charge was dropped because the surveillance video the officer watched of the incident wasn’t collected as evidence. Baca’s attorney told the court the video, “No longer exists.”
Despite Baca telling police that she filled a trash bag with supplies belonging to the business, her larceny charge was also dropped. In this instance, video evidence helped prove that she didn’t steal the items because police arrested and detained her before she could take the items from the property.
Baca was scheduled to go to trial this week, but on Friday the DA’s office dismissed the charges, citing “insufficient evidence.”
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