The fatal shooting of a beloved pet is expected to cost Fresno County’s taxpayers at least $2 million after an appeals court ruling upheld a lower court’s decision that sheriff’s deputies violated the owner’s rights and unnecessarily killed the dog.
In 2023, a jury awarded Veronica Ordaz Gonzalez and her boyfriend, Jose Ramos Santiago, $800,000 in damages after Fresno County sheriff’s deputies entered their home without consent and shot 4-year-old Scooby while investigating a case of vandalism. The county appealed the decision to California’s Fifth District Court of Appeals, but lost last Wednesday.
In addition to the damages, Ordaz Gonzalez was awarded nearly $830,000 in attorney fees in August 2023. The Fresno County Superior Court ruled deputies violated the Bane Act, a civil code meant to protect against threats, intimidation, an inference of threat or coercion.
Ordaz Gonzalez’s attorney, Nolan Kane, estimated that the total paid out by the county for the case would eclipse $2 million, with appeals court fees expected to be at least $400,000.
“I’m all for law enforcement protecting us and doing things properly, but this instance seemed to be a family dispute,” Kane said. “Certainly there are some circumstances where they need to hurry, but they rushed here and acted unnecessarily.”
In a statement, the office of Fresno County Counsel, which represented the county and the sheriff’s department, said “the county understands the sensitivity of the case.”
Veronica Ordaz Gonzalez, shown with Scooby, said she asked sheriff’s deputies for a warrant, which they didn’t produce.
(Veronica Ordaz Gonzalez)
“However, it remains convinced that the officers acted appropriately in response to a threat,” the statement read. “The county respectfully disagrees with the court’s decision.”
The lawsuit stems from a reported vandalism case that dates back to June 3, 2018.
A couple had called police to report that their son had vandalized their car, resulting in $500 worth of damage, according to the lawsuit.
The couple told authorities that their son, Jesus Ramos, frequented an address on South Lind Avenue in Fresno, according to the lawsuit.
Deputies spotted a man they believed was Ramos at the home on South Lind Avenue, which was being rented by Ordaz Gonzalez and Santiago. Ordaz Gonzalez, her father, Roberto, and brother Omar Perez were inside the home along with Santiago, who was sleeping, according to court documents. Ramos was not at the home.
“This started because a [suspect] damaged his parents’ car with an act vandalism that cost about $500,” Kane said. “My clients didn’t even know who this person was.”
One of the deputies spoke to Ordaz Gonzalez through a front screen door and asked her to step outside and identify herself. Ordaz Gonzalez said she would only exit to meet the deputy at the back door, according to court documents.
The deputy went to meet her at the back door. The deputy believed that by doing this, she had given consent to enter the property, according to court records.
Another deputy eventually grabbed Ordaz Gonzalez, twisted her arm and handcuffed her, according to court documents.
Ordaz Gonzalez claimed she asked the deputies to show her a warrant, which they didn’t produce. The deputies, in court documents, did not recall being asked for a warrant.
Eventually, police brought a K-9 unit to the home. Authorities tied Scooby to a tree in the front yard before they led the police dog onto the property, according to court documents.
As police searched the home for Ramos, Scooby got loose from the front yard and ran toward the back of the house, where he was shot by a deputy. The dog walked to the porch and died there without receiving any aid, according to the lawsuit.
Kane said that his clients tried to settle with the county for $250,000, but the county countered with only $7,500 and was not willing to offer a larger settlement.
“It was something along the lines of them thinking we were too far apart to find a compromise,” he said.
