Dog Dumped At Temecula-Area Cell Tower: Help Officials Find Suspect

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The public's help is needed in finding a 30-year-old man who "willfully" abandoned his dog at a Winchester cell tower, Riverside County Department of Animal Services announced Wednesday.

The search is on and an arrest warrant sought for Robert Ruiz Jr., 30, who was living in Temecula, according to the agency.

The news comes after video surveillance footage from the site showed a man, believed to be Ruiz, picking up the 8-year-old male pit bull mix and hurling it over a tall fence topped with razor wire surrounding the tower, RCDAS reported. (Watch the footage below. WARNING: The video may be disturbing for some.)

The incident occurred Dec. 15 atop a hill near Flossie Way and Pourroy Road.

Maintenance workers found the abandoned pooch and contacted animal services. The canine was inside the fencing for less than two hours but was very thirsty. The workers provided it with care and three bottles of water before an animal services officer could get to the scene, according to RCDAS.

RCDAS Officer Michael McGee arrived a short time later and brought the dog to a county shelter. Animal services officers made multiple attempts to find the owner, the agency said. The canine is microchipped and officers used the information associated with the chip to try to locate the owner, Ruiz, at a Temecula address.

"It appears he is no longer a resident there and the phone number provided for the chip is not allowing incoming calls," according to an RCDAS news release.

The dog’s name is KO, the agency confirmed.

"Animal Services will be seeking an arrest warrant for Mr. Ruiz for willful abandonment of an animal based on the footage and additional information," according to RCDAS.

“We’re now moving forward with seeking the arrest warrant because this person needs to be held
accountable for such a horrible act of willful abandonment,” RCDAS Commander Josh Sisler said. “We are confident the man in the video is the owner of the dog. It is just shocking to see this act. It’s a small miracle the dog did not suffer serious injuries from the razor wire or from such a high drop.”

KO, who has been renamed Ken, was examined for injuries and is being cared for at the county’s Western Riverside County/City Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley.

Veterinary staffers treated Ken’s right eye for mucoid discharge; his left eye also had some discharge, according to RCDAS.

The pup is now available for adoption or transfer to one of the county’s partner rescue organizations, RCDAS reported. For more information or to report tips about the dumping incident, call 888-636-7387 or visit https://www.rcdas.org/.