Napa man found guilty of felony animal cruelty

A Napa man has been convicted of two felony crimes of animal cruelty following a jury trial, according to Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley.

Sentencing for Zachary Roberts, 38, is scheduled for June 30 at 8:30 a.m. in Department One of the Napa County Superior Court.

After three days of deliberation, on June 2 the jury found the crimes involved “great violence, great bodily harm or other acts disclosing a high degree of cruelty, viciousness or callousness and that the crimes were inflict upon particularly vulnerable victims,” according to a news release.

One of the dogs, a 1-year-old Chihuahua named Princess, died before she could be saved.

The conviction resulted from Roberts’ prolonged neglect and abuse of Princess and 1-year-old pit bull mix named Avery. Roberts was acquitted of animal cruelty related to a third dog.

Avery and Princess were found emaciated and undernourished on Jan. 17, 2020, by a local registered veterinary technician who performed community outreach. although Princess was already dead, Avery was still alive in critical condition, the news release said.

In addition to their poor body conditions, both dogs suffered additional signs of neglect including grossly overgrown nails and coats covered in urine and feces. Avery was treated on an emergency basis at a Napa veterinary hospital, staying for about a week. The veterinarian said Avery was found just in time.

Avery made a full recovery and was later adopted by a Napa family.

Roberts had dog food and access to additional dog food, but said the dogs refused to eat. That was contrary to medical evaluations and evidence presented to the jury, according to the release.

“Although Avery and Princess could not tell us what happened to them, the extent of their conditions made clear that they had suffered at the hands of Mr. Robert for far too long,” Napa County Deputy District Attorney Taryn Hunter said in the release.

You can reach Staff Writer Kathleen Coates at kathleen.coates@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5209.