Target: Rachel Mitchell, County Attorney of Maricopa County, Arizona
Goal: Seek maximum penalties and permanent animal-ownership ban for suspect reportedly leaving twelve pets caged in filth and extreme heat.
An officer responding to a concerned resident reportedly discovered a house where dogs and cats were locked inside crates that reeked of urine and feces. According to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, the animals had no air-conditioning, no clean water, and no way to escape the suffocating desert heat. Deputies further stated that insects swarmed the cramped kennels and that one pet’s remains were found inside a crate.
Authorities subsequently arrested Julie Dimick, who now faces eleven counts of abandonment and eleven counts of failure to provide medical care. She also faces an aggravated-assault charge from a separate incident. While the rescued animals are recovering at the sheriff’s Animal Safe Haven Unit, officials note that cruelty reports in Arizona have surged, with over 10,000 calls last year alone.
Without strong prosecution and a lifetime prohibition on owning animals, future pets could be placed at similar risk. A firm legal response will reinforce Arizona’s newly strengthened cruelty statutes and demonstrate that depriving living beings of basic care carries serious consequences.
PETITION LETTER:
County Attorney Mitchell,
Deputies with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office reportedly removed twelve animals from a Litchfield Park residence where they were confined to cages saturated with feces and urine, deprived of air-conditioning, and left without proper food, water, or veterinary attention. Investigators also stated that a dead puppy was discovered inside one of the crates and that insects infested the filthy area.
The suspect, Julie Dimick, has been charged with multiple felony counts of abandonment and failure to provide medical treatment. Given the alleged severity—animals locked in sweltering, waste-filled enclosures—this case seemingly exemplifies prolonged neglect that causes intense suffering and can easily turn fatal in Arizona’s extreme temperatures.
We respectfully urge your office to pursue the maximum sentence allowed by law, request court-ordered restitution for the animals’ care, and seek a lifelong prohibition preventing the defendant from owning or keeping animals. A decisive prosecution will deter future offenses and uphold the state’s commitment to animal welfare.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Douglas Sprott
