Hayward Man Sentenced in Felony Animal Cruelty Case

Dublin, CA- Alameda County District Attorney announced that Defendant Joshua Tadduc was sentenced to felony probation and a term in county jail following a guilty plea to felony animal cruelty for the September 11, 2017 brutal beating of his nine month old pit bull puppy, Aaliyah.

The criminal investigation by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department revealed that 24 year-old Tadduc severely beat Aaliyah for defecating in his house. He told investigators that he tried to discipline the dog by “yelling at her to go to timeout,” but Aaliyah instead retreated to the third floor of his house. Tadduc grabbed the puppy and pulled her down the stairs by her hind legs but she turned around and bit his finger, inflicting what police noted was only a superficial wound.

Tadduc said Aaliyah got away from him and “hid in the bathtub.” He again dragged the puppy by her legs down the stairs and took her to the garage where he used a wooden pole to hit her in the face. Tadduc said the incident ended when the dog hid beneath the gas grill in the garage. Sheriff’s Officers subsequently searched Tadduc’s home and found a 6 foot long, 1 1/2 inch in diameter, wooden pole covered in blood in the garage. In addition, police observed large amounts of blood everywhere in the garage, including beneath the gas barbeque grill.

The next day, Tadduc said he saw the bloodied and injured puppy still in the garage, and decided to go to work instead of rendering any aid.  Tadduc’s roommates found the puppy severely injured puppy still hiding behind the propane tank of the BBQ, and immediately took her to the veterinarian.

Aaliyah suffered a compound fracture of her upper left jaw with the bone protruding outside the gums, a fractured left tempo mandibular joint and a loose left rear molar. In addition, she had bruises throughout her body, including the inside both ears. As a result of the extreme and serious nature of the injuries, Aaliyah underwent 6 hours of reconstructive surgery to her jaw.

The Alameda County Animal Cruelty Task Force, formed by District Attorney Nancy O’Malley in 2017, was notified of this case. ADA Sharmin Bock mobilized the Task Force, with members ranging from animal cruelty officers and animal shelters to advocacy groups, police officers, prosecutors, and veterinarians. Bock said “the Task Force supported the investigation and prosecution of this case, and played a key role in securing justice for Aaliyah.”

O’Malley created the Animal Cruelty Task Force to focus on the “link” between animal abuse and human violence, and to ensure that cruelty to animals is not quarantined from the broader issue of violence in our homes and society.

DA O’Malley states “we must build bridges within our own departments and between agencies that are tasked with combatting and preventing violence of all kinds in our society. By applying multidisciplinary solutions to the overarching problems of family, animal and community violence, we achieve improved prevention, intervention, and response outcomes for all, even innocent animals like Aaliyah.”

As a result of his guilty plea, Tadduc will receive 3 years felony probation, 30 days county jail, and must participate in 26 anger management classes plus additional counseling as directed by probation. Tadduc will forfeit any ownership interest in Aaliyah, and he will be prohibited from owning any animals for 3 years. To ensure compliance with these terms of his probation, Tadduc will be subject to the search of his person, home, vehicle and property under his control anytime of the day or night. In addition, Tadduc will have to make a $5,000 donation to the Alameda County Animal Shelter, and he must also pay for all veterinary and boarding bills, including the forensic veterinary review of the case by noted expert Dr. Jennifer Woolf.