Target: Steve Alm, Prosecuting Attorney, Honolulu, Hawaii
Goal: Impose the strongest possible jail term, fine, and lifelong animal‑ownership ban on the individual reportedly filmed beating and trunking her dog.
A bystander’s video reportedly captures a woman lifting her dog and hurling him onto hard pavement four separate times before cramming the terrified animal into a car trunk. Investigators with the Hawaiian Humane Society say the footage shows the dog, named Zuko, desperately trying to escape each blow. The animal was later rescued and is now undergoing medical evaluations.
Authorities have cited the owner for animal cruelty, but the maximum penalty she currently faces is only one year in jail and a $2,000 fine. Advocates warn that such violent incidents are frequently linked to wider patterns of domestic violence and can foreshadow further brutality against both animals and people.
The community’s safety—and Zuko’s future—depend on enforcing the state’s cruelty statutes to their fullest extent and barring the accused from ever owning animals again. Sign below to demand decisive prosecution and a meaningful sentence to send a clear message that vicious treatment of a defenseless companion will not be tolerated.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Prosecutor Alm,
Video evidence reportedly depicts a dog named Zuko being hoisted into the air and slammed to the pavement four times before being shoved into a car trunk. Hawaiian Humane Society investigators describe the footage as among the most brutal they have encountered. While Zuko reportedly survived, the psychological and physical trauma inflicted is undeniable.
We fear that a modest fine or brief incarceration will do little to deter future violence, particularly given research linking animal cruelty to later offenses against humans. Hawai‘i’s cruelty laws offer room for serious penalties; this case merits the maximum.
We therefore urge your office to pursue every applicable charge, seek the longest custodial sentence and highest fine available, and request a permanent prohibition on the defendant owning or residing with animals. Such action will help protect the vulnerable, affirm community standards, and reinforce that intentional cruelty carries grave consequences.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Stub Mandrel
