LAKEPORT, Calif. – A woman arrested earlier this month for chaining her dog outside in the heat with no shelter or water is facing trial.
Champagne Delsie Leubner, 24, was held to answer to a charge of felony animal abuse at her Aug. 19 preliminary hearing, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.
On Tuesday, Leubner appeared in Lake County Superior Court for arraignment. Hinchcliff said she will return to court on Sept. 16, at which time it’s expected that her trial date will be set.
The Clearlake Police Department took Leubner into custody on Aug. 2, as Lake County News has reported.
On July 23, Clearlake Animal Control Officer John Moretz responded to a call regarding a dog that was tied outside in direct sun with no water.
He arrived at the scene to find the dog chained to a stationary object in a backyard, entangled in cable, with no water to drink and unable to get into shade, authorities said.
Moretz took the dog, which was suffering from heatstroke, to a veterinarian. The dog was unresponsive and its body temperature was so high that it was unreadable by a thermometer. It was subsequently euthanized, authorities said.
Police obtained a warrant for Leubner’s arrest and she was taken into custody at the Mobil gas station on Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake.
Leubner initially had been booked into the Lake County Jail with bail set at $35,000. She later posted the required percentage of bail and was released.
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Woman charged in animal cruelty case to face trial
- Elizabeth Larson
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