Man accused of animal cruelty in Scottsdale found, arrested in New Mexico
A man and a woman accused of felony animal cruelty were found in Las Cruces, NM after the man failed to appear at his sentencing hearing on July 30.
Lester Richmond and Heather Auditor were tracked down and located at a bus stop in Las Cruces on Aug. 1.
The 35-year-old, Richmond, is being held in New Mexico and awaiting extradition to Arizona.
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Man, woman arrested after dead puppy was found in Scottsdale alley
Lester Richmond, 35, and Heather Auditor, 32, were arrested on July 20 during a traffic stop near Miller Road and Pierce Street.
He had reportedly taken a plea after a husky was found abandoned in an alley near Miller Road and Latham Street in Scottsdale.
Police found the dog in the alley with its mouth taped shut on June 27, 2023.
Richmond and Auditor were arrested on July 20, 2023 during a traffic stop near Miller Road and Pierce Street, a half mile from where the husky dog was found.
Lester Richmond (Las Cruces PD mugshot)
Surveillance video tied Richmond's vehicle to the crime.
"After identifying Richmond as a potential lead, investigators were able to obtain video surveillance of Richmond and Auditor talking about getting rid of the puppy," police said in a statement in July 2023.
Flight risk pattern
In December, Richmond was indicted by Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell.
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Arizona man accused of felony animal abuse arrested in Alabama
Scottsdale Police named Lester Richmond as the suspect after reviewing evidence and surveillance video from the incident, which happened last June.
He was found and arrested months later, in February 2024 in Troy, Alabama and extradited back to Arizona.
Richmond is expected to be extradited back to Arizona within 30 days of his arrest in New Mexico.