VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – Christopher Hurtado of Santa Paula pled guilty on June 16 to two felonies after beating a sickened sea lion on the beach next to the Ventura Promenade in March of this year.
Hurtado changed his initial plea ahead of his trail and admitted to one count of animal cruelty and possession of methamphetamine as well as the aggravating factors that he had a prior strike offense, he was on probation at the time of the crime, and that the sick sea lion was particularly vulnerable noted the Ventura County District Attorney's Office in a press release.
"Ventura County was outraged by the violence this defendant inflicted on a defenseless animal," stated Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. "The nature of this senseless attack shocked our conscience and called for aggressive prosecution."
On March 4, 2025, a woman walking her dog on the beach called 911 after seeing a sea lion stuck on the rocks in front of the Ventura Promenade and dispatchers were able to locate the sea lion using live surveillance cameras near the Ventura Pier explained the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
According to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, while dispatchers were watching the sea lion through the Ventura Pier camera, a man -later identified as Christopher Hurtado of Santa Paula- walked up to sea lion and kicked it in the head.
Hurtado then sat down on the nearby rocks before grabbing a four-foot piece of driftwood, raising it over his head, and hit the sea lion twice in the body before arriving officers took him into custody detailed the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
Officers found 0.06 grams of methamphetamine in Hurtado's pants pocket during a search at the scene added the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
On June 9, the Channel Island Marine and Wildlife Institute informed prosecutors that the sea lion was later euthanized due to domoic acid poisoning.
Hurtado is currently scheduled to be sentenced on July 14 in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court where he faces up to three years in state prison and he remains in custody with bail set at $25,000 shared the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
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