Story by Rebecca West
Images courtesy of Arizona Humane Society & Koco Garcia
Three cheers for the Arizona Humane Society (AHS), Senator Shawnna Bolick, and Governor Katie Hobbs! It’s been a long time coming, and it wasn’t without its starts and stops. But community activists were finally able to get an animal welfare bill with the potential to make a difference passed and signed into law on June 27. We’re talking about bill SB1658, aka Jerry’s Law, which will go into effect September 26, 2025.
So, what is it, how did it come about, and why is it so necessary? Surely there are other animal welfare laws in place to oversee the protection of pets and other domestic creatures. To a certain extent, that’s true, but advocates say none have the scope or range that this one has.
According to Dr. Steven Hansen, AHS President and CEO, “SB1658, also known as Jerry’s Law, is the most important animal cruelty bill to pass in the last decade in Arizona. This law better defines the bare minimum standard of care for pets and marks a vital step forward in our fight against animal abuse and neglect.”
Jerry’s Law
SB1658 is a bill that strengthens animal welfare laws by expanding the definition of animal cruelty and neglect. It also broadens the conditions that constitute the offense of animal cruelty. For instance, under the bill, failing to provide necessary medical attention to prevent the protracted suffering of an animal will rightfully be considered a crime of consequence.
To clarify, SB1658 does not change any penalties in the state law. It better defines what constitutes adequate shelter and changes the requirement for medical care from protracted suffering to unreasonable suffering, in essence, revising it from a time-based level of suffering to a necessity-for-care-based measurement. So, moving forward, it will become a crime to intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly fail to provide such care to prevent unreasonable suffering.
The new law also clarifies what constitutes adequate food and water for companion animals while outlining specific actions that are considered cruelty, including cruel neglect or abandonment, infliction of unnecessary physical injury, cruel mistreatment, and death or harm without legal privilege. Jerry’s Law applies to all domestic animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians that are kept as pets or companions.
The Arizona Humane Society believes it will save thousands of companion animals’ lives annually by enabling faster search warrants in cases of extreme cruelty.
The Catalyst for Jerry’s Law
While residents of Arizona had long desired more stringent laws and stiffer penalties connected to animal abuse, nothing of any real substance was able to get passed. Sadly, many of our lawmakers were either asleep at the wheel or blatantly disregarded the need for added protections, even on the most basic levels.
Yet many individuals and groups have been trying for years to improve the lives of pets, including Tucson Action Team (TAT). In fact, they had their own bill written this session to officially create an Office of Companion Animals to oversee rescues and breeders in Arizona. We wrote a piece about them in Nov/Dec 2023 regarding their concern over puppy mills, pet stores, and predatory lending.
The language of their bill, which was sponsored by Senator Brian Fernandez, was written by Debra Nolan, who runs dontleaveme.org. Nolan also wrote and introduced the Hot Car Bill, aka the Good Samaritan’s law. Formally known as House Bill 2494, it provides legal protections for individuals who break into a car to rescue a child or pet in imminent danger from extreme heat that could lead to death or brain damage. It was passed in 2017.
In this case, the Arizona Humane Society in Maricopa County is responsible for the bill (SB1658) that was just passed. Sponsored by Senator Shawnna Bolick, she was approached by AHS after a slew of high-profile abuse cases had come to light involving horrible crimes against animals. Typically, the perpetrators’ charges were pled down, and they received the equivalent of a slap on the wrist.
As it happens, Jerry’s Law got its name from a paralyzed dog that was involved in one of those cases. Jerry was part of a horrible case in Chandler known as the “House of Horrors” scandal. The defendant was April McLaughlin. She stated that she was running a rescue called Special Needs Animal Welfare League. But the circumstances in which the animals lived, and in some cases died, were deplorable.
Due to multiple reports and complaints of possible animal cruelty and neglect, AHS officials attempted to perform an animal wellness check at the residence on September 9, 2023. They returned on the 12th and again on the 19th. Around the same time, the Chandler Police Department began an investigation, and a raid was conducted at the home after a search warrant was obtained on September 22.
The horrific case was ultimately dubbed “The Chandler 55” for the 55 animals discovered there. We’ll spare you the worst of the details, but of the animals rescued, five had to be euthanized, and a freezer on the property was found to contain the frozen remains of five more canines, which were said to be puppies.
Reported to be using at least 21 different aliases, which is unusual in itself, McLaughlin was charged with 55 counts of Animal Cruelty by way of Neglect and Abandonment (A.R.S. 13-2910A1), which is classified as a Class 1 Misdemeanor, and 55 counts of Animal Cruelty by way of Failing to Provide Medical Treatment (A.R.S. 13-2910A2), also classified as a Class 1 Misdemeanor.
On September 27, however, officials with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced that McLaughlin’s case had been sent back to Chandler Police for further review, and charges against her were dropped. Rearrested in November 2023, she was booked into jail on 77 misdemeanor charges, 49 of them under ordinance 13-2910A1 and 28 under ordinance 13-2910A2. She pleaded not guilty.
Eventually, multiple fraud charges were added to her laundry list of animal cruelty allegations, and her court case continued to be postponed as late as February of this year. Still in jail, it’s said her trial date is currently scheduled for this September, with many in the animal advocate community believing that she will eventually take some sort of plea deal, if one is offered. It will be interesting to see what she gets regardless.
It’s worth noting that Arizona Humane led efforts in 2023 that successfully resulted in the Chandler City Council approving significant revisions to the city’s animal cruelty ordinance. The updates outline additional situations in which an animal may be taken into custody and guarantee that each of these instances will be presented before a court to assess whether the animal was subjected to abuse.
Why Jerry’s Law is Necessary
We asked Lara Iacobucci Paris of Tucson Action Team why Jerry’s Law was considered such a victory for animal welfare and how it differed from other laws already in place. She stated that the difference with this particular law is that it’s got “teeth” as opposed to previous iterations. In other words, it’s believed that this law has the potential to actually hold people accountable and see to it that they’re punished for their crimes.
“In the past, people have been accused, and the charges were dropped down to almost nothing. There were virtually no consequences to their actions. There’s been no real accountability.”
In addition to the House of Horrors scandal, Iacobucci Paris pointed to another seriously disturbing case that made the news not only for the sickening crime but its sad lack of real consequences when it was all said and done.
On July 20, 2023, a four-month-old puppy named Chloe was found dead in a dumpster at an apartment complex here in Tucson. The dog’s owner, Semya Jones, was accused of beating the animal to death, placing it in a garbage bag, and then dumping it in the complex’s large communal trash container located on the grounds.
Previously, a neighbor had viewed alleged abuse between Jones and the dog on a doorbell camera and notified authorities. Weeks later, the same neighbor discovered Chloe’s bloodied body in the trash. One particular video clip reportedly showed Jones with a trash bag matching the one Chloe was found in. Following the neighbor’s report to the Tucson Police Department, Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) brought several animal cruelty charges against Jones.
Jones accepted a plea agreement in Tucson City Court, pleading guilty to one count of animal cruelty and neglect. Two similar charges were dismissed. She was sentenced to 36 months of unsupervised probation, with conditions prohibiting her from violating the law or owning any animals. Jail time and fines were waived as part of the plea deal.
A number of animal advocates attended Jones’ plea hearing and were understandably disappointed with the outcome while calling for justice. Many felt the system had failed Chloe. For her part, throughout the entirety of the case, Jones never once offered an explanation as to how her dog died. The neighbor told KVOA News 4 she believes that law enforcement didn’t do enough before the puppy’s death to address the alleged abuse she had reported.
As hard as these stories are to read, it’s crucial that they come to light and that laws are not only enacted but enforced to the fullest extent of their reach to hopefully deter future incidents and hold perpetrators accountable. It’s believed that the signing of bill SB1658 by Governor Katie Hobbs on June 27 and its enactment this month will go a long way toward making that happen.
To view the bill SB1658 for yourself, go to:
SB1658 – 571R – House Bill Summary
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