An animal trainer and his girlfriend who were arrested last week in connection with several suspicious dog deaths now face charges for animal cruelty and destroying evidence in an alleged cover-up scheme, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Last week, Irvine police arrested 53-year-old Kwong “Tony” Chun Sit and his girlfriend, 23-year-old Tingfeng Liu after at least 11 dogs in their care died and were cremated without the owners’ knowledge.
On Monday, the D.A.’s Office said necropsies had been completed on three of the dogs who died under Chun Sit’s watch, revealing two died of heat stroke and a third of blunt force trauma.
Additional necropsies are pending for at least six dogs who were dropped off at local crematories; two others were already cremated before officials were able to determine their cause of death.
The D.A.’s Office alleges that Chun Sit and Liu pretended to be the dog owners, and traveled to several crematories throughout the region in an effort to conceal how many animals had actually died while in their care. The real owners were informed via text that their dogs died in their sleep and were being cremated, officials said.
All but one dog was dropped off on June 18, officials said. The remaining was dropped off at a crematory on June 13.
Chun Sit is a prominent dog trainer in Southern California and operates Happy K9 Academy, which offers behavioral training services and overnight boarding. Prices for these services range form $1,000 to $3,399, the D.A.’s Office said.
Liu and Chun Sit remain in custody on $550,000 bail. Their passports have been surrendered after officials said they were “packed and ready to flee when they were arrested.”
They are also prohibited from being around animals and have been ordered to not contact any victim families.
Chun Sit faces 11 felony counts for animal cruelty, 11 felony counts of animal abuse by a caretaker, seven misdemeanor account of attempting to destroy evidence, and one misdemeanor account for successfully destroying evidence. He faces a maximum sentence of 13 years and 11 months in prison.
Liu, meanwhile, faces one felony count as an accessory, one misdemeanor for destruction of evidence, and two misdemeanors for attempting to destroy evidence. She faces a maximum sentence of four years in jail if convicted on all charges.
Orange County D.A. Todd Spitzer called Chun Sit’s alleged actions “repulsive,” and said of the charges: “No animal deserves to be killed and then tossed aside like a piece of garbage. The abuse of any animal will not be tolerated, and we will prosecute this case and every case of animal abuse to the fullest extent of the law.”
The investigation remains ongoing and police are continuing to collect evidence related to the case. Detectives believe that Chun Sit worked with pet owners across Southern California using different company names, including Happy K9 Academy.
Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact Irvine Police Department Detective Rebecca Steen by email.
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