Pasco man avoids additional jail time, banned from owning pets in animal cruelty case

WALLA WALLA  — A Pasco man was sentenced Monday to a suspended 364-day jail term and placed on 12 months of probation after pleading guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree animal cruelty.

Emmanuel Jullian Silva, 38, appeared in Walla Walla County Superior Court following a plea agreement that downgraded his initial charge from first-degree animal cruelty. The case stems from the severe neglect of a female bulldog named Canella, who was found extremely malnourished in Burbank last year and later euthanized.

Walla Walla County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Michelle Mulhern stated that while a lack of a necropsy made it difficult to definitively prove that Silva’s neglect directly caused Canella’s death, witness observations and veterinary records clearly established that the animal was severely neglected. Defense attorney Julie Carlson Straube described the situation as heartbreaking, noting that Silva had left the lactating dog in a location where he believed she would be cared for, adding that the dog may have also suffered from an undiagnosed infection.

Judge Brandon Johnson accepted the recommended sentence, ordering Silva to serve 27 days in jail with credit for 27 days already served. Silva faces 337 days of suspended jail time over the next year if he violates his probation.

Under the terms of his 12-month probation, Silva must undergo a mental health evaluation and follow all treatment recommendations. Additionally, the judge prohibited Silva from owning, possessing, or being in the unsupervised presence of any animal for the statutory maximum of two years.

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Elkhorn Media Group