By Scott Alonso, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa County District Attorney
Martinez, Calif. – A Contra Costa County jury found defendant Garry Reynolds (39-years-old) guilty of four felonies – all counts of animal cruelty. Reynolds is the owner of a dog training company, NorCal K9. The jury found Reynolds was criminally negligent in the care of four animals under his company’s care. Additionally, the jury found Reynolds not guilty on three counts of animal cruelty. (See related CBS13 TV news report) (See videos of dog training on Garry Reynolds’ YouTube channel)
In 2018, at a house in Antioch rented by the defendant, Reynolds and his former co-defendant Devon Ashby were responsible for the care of various dogs. Unfortunately, these dogs were neglected and not cared for in a proper way. Ashby pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of animal cruelty and testified during the trial for the People.
Reynolds faces up to 10 years in state prison due to his prior strike offenses. Judge Patricia Scanlon will sentence Reynolds later this spring. Deputy District Attorney Arsh Singh prosecuted the case on behalf of the People. DDA Singh is assigned to the Felony Trial Team.
“Animal cruelty cases are heartbreaking as these animals are innocent and deserve excellent care. Garry Reynolds took advantage of his customers and his ownership style contributed to the maltreatment of these dogs and the horrible death of Gunner,” DDA Singh stated. “The defendant claims to be a premier dog trainer yet showed no remorse and did not accept responsibility for the dogs under his care. I want to thank the jury for the important verdict in this case and the message sent to any dog trainer in our community that our Office will not tolerate the mistreatment of animals.”
The City of Antioch started an investigation into the house where the dogs were located at 5200 Lone Tree Way. The investigation started as a code enforcement matter but progressed to a criminal investigation led by the Antioch Police Department due to a dog’s death. In June 2018, Antioch police officers showed up at the house and found unsuitable and dangerous living conditions that jeopardized the health of the dogs staying at the property. In total nine dogs were removed from the property.
The conditions at 5200 Lone Tree Way were unsuitable for any animal. Antioch officials testified at the trial and reviewed with the jury that rotten raw chicken meat was found in various dogs’ kennels, urine and feces were not picked up or disposed of in a sanitary manner, and the house’s ventilation system was not properly used. When officers arrived on June 25 to the property, the weather in Antioch was extremely warm and the ventilation system in the house was not being used. Dogs under the care of Reynolds were placed in small rooms or the kitchen in stacked kennels all close together. Further, there was an immense amount of trash and debris inside and outside the house.
The following dogs were associated with the jury’s guilty verdict:
- Gunner, Doberman (Count 5)
- Favor, Cane Corso (Count 6)
- Zeus, German Shepherd (Count 7)
- Rambo (Bo), Labro-Poodle (Count 8)
Case information: People v. Garry Reynolds, Docket Number 05-191200-5
Publisher’s Note: A photo posted with this report, earlier was not of Garry Reynolds. Apologies for the mistake.
By Joe Brengle, CEO Contra Costa County Event Park
