Animal Care officers kill deer stuck on fence; veterinarian objects

ANAHEIM HILLS, Calif. -- Veterinarian Kathleen Johnson recalls the night she found a deer "hanging upside down frantic." It's leg impaled on a fence in Anaheim Hills.

"It was very distressed. It was kicking with its rear legs. It was pawing with its front," she said.

Johnson called Orange County Animal Care. Sgt. Juan Orozco and Officer David Serrato responded. What happened 45 minutes after they arrived still stuns her to this day.

"I'm horrified. You can't do that. This is a living human being," Johnson said.

According to documents, the officers covered the deer's head with a towel and hog-tied its front legs to its neck to keep it from moving, but the animal was too heavy to lift.

"The second officer that was there pulled out a knife and was talking to the first one about where to cut the leg off to get it down from the fence," Johnson said.

"I said, 'Well, I'm a veterinarian, I have euthanasia solution, I can do it very painlessly for you,' and he said, 'No.'"

Johnson says the officers asked her to leave. According to a report by Orozco, he then slit the deer's throat then cut its leg to free it from the fence.

In an email to his supervisor, Orozco said, "I felt I made the right decision and even if she really is a vet I did not feel safe at all to have her stick the needle in with the deer still being very strong and being able to use his head."

In a report, the veterinarians who performed the necropsy called what the officers did "a barbaric and improper method of euthanasia," saying several other options were available.

Orange County Animal Care released the following statement: "However, euthanasia in the field is permitted only in specified circumstances when it is safe for both the officer and the public."

"Our protocols do allow and they are equipped with shotguns to be able to immediately put an animal out of its misery," Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer said.

In a report, Orozco said shooting the deer was not possible so close to homes.

Orange County Animal Care said they can't talk about the specific case, but says Orozco and Serrato are being thoroughly investigated.

Two days after the incident, Orozco and Serrato were placed on paid administrative leave. Criminal charges, however, will not be filed.

"Whether you agree with what they did or not, it's not a crime," said Susan Kang Schroeder, chief of staff at the Orange County District Attorney's Office.