Campbell animal cruelty case reset for new trial

CAMPBELL

An animal cruelty case involving a dog found dead and frozen in 2015 has been reset for another trial.

Tameka Smith, 25, was scheduled appear today in Campbell Municipal Court for a trial. However, due to an inconsistency in the charging document, the prosecution and the defense agreed to dismiss that case without prejudice, Prosecutor Brian Macala said.

Smith was re-arraigned this morning on a second-degree misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty. The new case is set to go straight to trial by the end of June, Macala said.

Police first charged her in January 2015 after finding a dead and frozen dog tied up in the rear yard of a Reed Avenue home. A former Reed Avenue resident told officers Smith had agreed to care for the dog after its previous owner moved, a police report states.

Defense Attorney James E. Lanzo has said his client is not guilty, noting that documents show she did not live at Reed Street at the time of the dog’s death.

Macala said the prosecution intends to prove Smith was negligent, rather than knowingly, guilty of animal cruelty.