Scottsdale man who fled authorities twice sentenced to one year in jail for animal cruelty
Sep 26, 2024, 5:08 PM | Updated: 5:10 pm
Lester Paul Richmond, 36, was sentenced to one year in county jail for animal cruelty. (Photo via Scottsdale Police Department)
(Photo via Scottsdale Police Department)
PHOENIX – A Scottsdale man who killed a husky puppy and fled authorities twice was sentenced to one year in county jail, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) announced on Thursday.
In June 2023, Lester Paul Richmond, 36, was arrested after he and 32-year-old Heather Auditor discarded a dead dog in Scottsdale. The puppy was found to have its mouth taped shut.
In a plea agreement, Richmond pleaded guilty to one count of intentionally or knowingly subjecting an animal to cruel mistreatment, a Class 6 undesignated felony.
He received the maximum sentence for a first-time offender, according to the MCAO.
The 36-year-old will serve one year in jail with no credit served and three years of supervised release. Upon release he will not be allowed to own any animals and will need to complete an online animal cruelty prevention and education program. Richmond will also pay restitution for the crime.
“Statistics show that individuals who abuse animals are more likely to harm people,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a press release. “This sentence does more than hold this defendant accountable – it sends a clear message that cruelty to animals will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
A history of fleeing from authorities
After Richmond was charged in July 2023 for animal abuse, he was released while Scottsdale police continued an investigation.
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When the MCAO announced an indictment in December 2023, officers went to arrest Richmond but found he had fled.
In February, authorities eventually found Richmond thousands of miles away in Troy, Alabama. After being caught he was extradited to Arizona and was put on supervised release in April.
It wasn’t the end of Richmond’s attempts to evade justice. In June, he settled on his plea agreement but did not show up for his sentencing date on July 30.
A day later, detectives received a tip that Richmond and Auditor were at a truck stop in New Mexico. This triggered his arrest in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
“With the help of community members and out-of-state law enforcement agencies, I was able to locate this defendant and make sure he was brought to justice,” MCAO Animal Cruelty Detective Heather Krimm said. “Animals are voiceless, and we must step up to be their voice in these cases.”
