A 75-year-old California woman has been indicted on federal charges after investigators accused her of luring a nine-week-old puppy beneath her vehicle with food and intentionally running it over, federal prosecutors announced.
Hanh Minh Nguyen of Anaheim was charged Thursday with one count of animal crushing, a federal felony that carries a maximum sentence of up to seven years in federal prison. The case stems from an incident in September involving a black-and-white pit bull puppy.
According to prosecutors, law enforcement officials recovered surveillance footage capturing a woman releasing the young dog from a Honda Odyssey minivan. The video allegedly shows the driver dropping food items near the vehicle’s driver-side door and signaling for the small animal to approach.
Investigators said that as the minivan moved forward, its rear tire struck and passed over the puppy. The vehicle then reportedly halted with its tire resting directly on top of the injured animal for approximately 15 seconds before driving away from the scene.
A subsequent veterinary examination of the puppy’s remains concluded that the animal died from a crushed skull and endured severe pain for several minutes prior to its death.
Local authorities identified Nguyen as the primary suspect in the case and took her into custody on October 1. In addition to the newly filed federal felony count, she is facing separate animal cruelty charges in Orange County Superior Court.
