Latest news with #ChristopherHurtado
Miami Herald
18-06-2025
- Miami Herald
Beating of sea lion caught on camera, CA officials say. Now, man pleads guilty
A sick sea lion resting on a California beach was kicked in the head and beaten with a large piece of driftwood, prosecutors say. Now, 32-year-old Christopher Hurtado, of Santa Paula, has pleaded guilty 'to two felony counts related to the beating of a sea lion suffering on a Ventura beach from recent algae blooms,' the Ventura County District Attorney's Office said in a June 17 news release. McClatchy News was unable to immediately reach an attorney representing the man on June 18. 'Ventura County was outraged by the violence this defendant inflicted on a defenseless animal,' District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said in the release. 'The nature of this senseless attack shocked our conscience and called for aggressive prosecution.' As a woman was walking on the beach with her dog March 4, she spotted 'a sea lion stuck on the rocks in front of the Ventura Promenade' and called 911, prosecutors said. When dispatchers checked live footage from surveillance cameras near the Ventura Pier, they saw the man approach the sea lion and kick it in the head, prosecutors said. Hurtado sat on the rocks for a short time, then grabbed 'a four-foot piece of driftwood,' raised it above his head and hit the sea lion twice, prosecutors said. Officers arrived at the shoreline and detained him as he tried to run away, according to police, McClatchy News previously reported. 'Officers found .06 grams of methamphetamine in Hurtado's pants pocket,' prosecutors said. At the time of the attack, 'the sea lion was alive but suffering from domoic acid poisoning, a naturally occurring toxin in algae that can be harmful to marine mammals,' police said. The Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute responded to keep an eye on the sea lion's condition, according to police. The nonprofit ended up caring for the sea lion at its center but later had to euthanize it due to its domoic acid poisoning, prosecutors said. Just before his trial was set to begin, Hurtado pleaded guilty to 'one count of cruelty to an animal and possession of a hard drug,' prosecutors said. In addition, he admitted to 'special allegations and aggravating factors,' which included having a prior strike and 'that the sea lion was vulnerable,' according to prosecutors. Hurtado, who is being held on $25,000 bail, is scheduled to appear in court July 14 for sentencing and faces three years in prison, prosecutors said. Ventura is about a 70-mile drive northwest from Los Angeles. What to know about domoic acid poisoning The sea lion's death came during an uptick in the number of sea lions suffering from domoic acid poisoning found along the Southern California coast, according to a Feb. 25 Facebook post from the Pacific Marine Mammal Center. Domoic acid is produced by the algae Pseudo-nitzschia australis, according to the Marine Mammal Center. 'When conditions are right, waters off the coast of California can experience large-scale toxic algal blooms that are capable of sickening hundreds of sea lions in a matter of weeks, causing them to wash ashore at an alarming rate – sometimes a dozen a day,' according to the Marine Mammal Care Center. Some symptoms of domoic acid poisoning are 'seizures, bobbing head, erratic behavior and lethargy,' the Marine Mammal Center says. With some domoic acid poisoning cases, the Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute said it removes sea lions from the beach. In other cases, however, the organization leaves the sea lion on the beach to 'give the animal space and time to work through the acute phase of the toxin,' the organization said, adding that it continues to monitor the animal. The organization warned those who come into contact with a 'marine mammal in distress' to keep a distance of at least 50 feet.
Los Angeles Times
05-03-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Sea lion suffering from domoic acid poisoning attacked at Ventura Beach
A man was arrested Tuesday morning after allegedly beating a sea lion suffering from domoic acid poisoning on Ventura Beach, according to authorities. Surveillance footage captured a man later identified as 32-year-old Christopher Hurtado attacking a California sea lion on Harbor Boulevard, according to a Ventura Police Department news release. The man was hitting the beached animal with a large stick. Officers detained Hurtado, who tried to flee, and found methamphetamine, police said. Hurtado was booked on suspicion of felony animal cruelty, felony possession of a controlled substance and violation of federal laws protecting marine mammals. The sea lion was suffering from domoic acid poisoning, officials said. California State Parks officers notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The adult female California sea lion was taken to a treatment center to be monitored, according to the Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Institute. 'It is a crime under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to intentionally harass or injure sea lions. We are grateful for the quick response by the Ventura Police Department and look forward to working with them and California State Parks on this investigation,' said Assistant Director Greg Busch with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Law Enforcement in the release. Domoic acid is a neurotoxin produced by harmful algal blooms that accumulates in filter-feeding fish, including anchovies and sardines. Those fish are then eaten by seals, sea lions and dolphins. The exposure damages the brain and heart in mammals. Symptoms include seizures, a craning head motion known as 'stargazing' and a comatose state. Experts advise humans not to interact with animals believed to be sick because they might bite or lunge without warning. Animals can be treated, but moving an ill sea lion to a facility can be difficult because an adult female can weigh up to 250 pounds and an adult male up to 1,000 pounds, requiring several people to move each animal. Marine animals are protected by state and federal law. If you see an ill or injured animal, call the Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute rescue hotline at (805) 567-1505. The California Wildlife Center is getting between 50 to 100 messages every day about sea lions suffering from domoic acid toxicity ever since an outbreak was reported off the coast of Malibu. A similar outbreak was recorded last summer affecting more than 70 sea lions, as well as two dolphins and two fur seals along the coast in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
CBS News
05-03-2025
- CBS News
Ventura man arrested for allegedly beating sea lion with a stick
Police arrested a 32-year-old man allegedly caught on Ventura beach cameras beating a sea lion with a large stick Tuesday morning. Authorities booked the suspect, Christopher Hurtado, into jail for felony animal cruelty, breaking federal laws protecting marine mammals and a drug possession violation. "It is a crime under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to intentionally harass or injure sea lions," NOAA Asistant Director Greg Busch said. The Ventura Police Department said they spotted Hurtado on surveillance cameras attacking a sea lion resting along the Ventura Beach Promenade at roughly 9:20 a.m. on March 4. Officers said he hit the animal multiple times with a large stick. Hurtado tried to run away when officers arrived at the beach. However, they quickly detained him and found what they believed to be methamphetamine in his belongings, according to the Ventura Police Department. For the past week, wildlife officials have warned beachgoers about a toxic algae outbreak affecting marine wildlife in the waters off the California coast. More than 50 sea lions became sick after ingesting domoic acid in Malibu. Wildlife officials said that domoic acid is "an algal bloom resulting from a single-celled organism called Pseudo-nitzschia." When toxic, domoic acid can cause brain and heart damage, even in low doses. Animals and humans can become sick from ingesting domoic acid from contaminated fish or coming in contact with infected wildlife. "Signs in marine mammals include seizures, a craning head motion known as 'stargazing,' and highly lethargic or comatose states," the California Wildlife Center said in a statement last week. "These animals are suffering and confused; do not interact directly with animals such as sea lions in distress as they may lunge and bite without warning."
