SAN ANTONIO – A woman who was arrested after a neighbor caught her on video allegedly hitting her puppy multiple times was released on bond Sunday afternoon.
San Antonio police arrested Havanna Miller, 23, on Saturday and charged her with animal cruelty torture, according to court records.
Authorities responded to an apartment complex Friday morning in the 12000 block of Culebra Road after receiving an animal-related call.
The City of San Antonio’s Animal Care Services confirmed on Friday that the puppy is a three-month-old poodle and has been removed from the home.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Miller told authorities she denied that anyone was hitting the dog.
A KSAT viewer shared a video of the incident, which appears to show her yelling and beating the puppy. According to the affidavit, Miller hit the dog at least 15 times while holding it, then struck the dog two more times after letting it go.
Geneva Story, an animal rescuer who works to rehabilitate traumatized dogs, said she was on the scene when ACS and San Antonio police arrived at the apartment to remove the dog from the home.
“It just made me very angry,” Story said. She said she did not see the dog being abused in person, but said she saw the video that circulated online, which showed Miller striking the dog repeatedly on her apartment balcony.
Story said other people at the apartment complex claimed to have heard Miller’s dog yelling before the video went viral.
“There’s a lot of times where people are like, ‘I want to mind my business,’ but this is one of those situations you don’t want to mind your business,” Story said. “I feel like a lot of people see it’s a puppy and they just kind of turn the other cheek.”
“Knowing the mental fact that this puppy could have this trauma for its entire life angers me because it never had to know that life, especially as a baby,” Story said.
Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales shared his disgust in a public statement released on Tuesday afternoon.
“I was just as horrified and outraged as others when I saw the video on the news of this defenseless puppy being beaten,” Gonzales said, in part. “Please rest assured that my office and I will do everything in our power to hold this person accountable for her actions.”
Gonzales also appeared to respond to criticism after Miller bonded out of jail.
“But please also understand that the law affords due process to anyone accused of a crime, even when dealing with the most serious offenders. With few exceptions, anyone accused of a violent crime is entitled to a bond,” Gonzales said, in part. “Although we recommended an appropriate bond amount, she was released from jail.”
KSAT asked the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office for clarification on two details Tuesday night: Miller’s exact bond amount and what the office considered as an “appropriate bond amount.”
As of Tuesday night, the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office has yet to respond to KSAT’s questions.
Miller is scheduled for a pre-indictment hearing on March 25.
