Feb 9, 2006 1:05 am US/Pacific
Accused Puppy Mill Operators Make Plea Bargain
SANTA ANA, Calif. (CBS) ―
Two former Dana Point residents pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor charges in connection with selling neglected and sick Pomeranian puppies, authorities said Wednesday.
Mark Bock, 37, and Jeffrey Worley, 38, were scheduled to stand trial on allegations that their former home business, Pearlie's House of Pomeranians, was a puppy mill. Instead, the pair pleaded guilty to five counts late Tuesday afternoon, including a count of failing to file a state tax return for 2003, before Orange County Superior Court Judge Susanne Shaw.
Shaw placed the men on three years informal probation, ordered them to perform 30 days of community service and pay restitution to a center that nursed the sick puppies to health, incurring "significant" expenses in the process, and paying an amount ordered by the Franchise Tax Board, Deputy District Attorney Scott Steiner said.
The amounts to be paid will be determined later, but the men will face a year in jail if they do not complete the terms of probation.
Bock and Worley pleaded guilty to charges of neglecting the puppies, selling puppies that were not in good health, failing to file a tax return and operating as a seller without a permit and operating without a business permit.
The puppies were sold between $800 and $8,000 each, but at least three of the dogs died.
The two men now live outside Kansas City, Mo., where they operate a kennel, according to their attorney Jeffrey Benice said. Benice could not be reached for comment regarding their pleas, and Steiner said the terms of their probation can be completed in Missouri.
(© 2006 CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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