Campbell v. Superior Court

OPINION

PATTERSON, Judge.

This special action presents the question of whether the misdemeanor offense of cruelty to animals is a crime of moral turpitude which entitles Petitioner to a jury trial. We hold that it does not.

I. BACKGROUND

Donald Campbell (“Petitioner”) put hot dogs containing rat poison on his front lawn. A neighbor’s cat was subsequently poisoned after eating one. Petitioner later acknowledged that he set out the hot dogs because neighbors were allowing their dogs to defecate on his property, which was killing his grass. Petitioner was charged with cruelty to animals, a class 2…