Anaheim woman, 75, accused in Santa Ana puppy killing now faces a federal charge

The woman Santa Ana police were searching for in the killing of a puppy on West Park Lane has been arrested and charged. Police say license plate reader technology led detectives to Hanh Minh Nguyen, 75, of Anaheim. They arrested her on Oct. 1, a day after releasing surveillance video and asking the public for help.

On Oct. 29, federal prosecutors charged Nguyen with one count of animal crushing, a felony that carries a maximum of seven years in federal prison. These are allegations, and she has not been convicted of any crime.

What police say happened

Police say it happened around 9:15 a.m. on Sept. 8 in the 900 block of West Park Lane. According to police, a woman driving an older blue or green Honda Odyssey with a roof rack placed a puppy under the minivan. She then left food near the driver's door and drove forward as the puppy approached it.

The rear driver's-side tire ran over the puppy, and police say the van stopped on top of him for about 15 seconds before heading north on Lowell Street. The puppy, a 9-month-old pit bull mix named Blackey, died. An autopsy found he died of a crushed skull and was alive for several minutes afterward, NBC Los Angeles reported.

The incident was recorded by the home security system of Santa Ana resident Donato Orlando, FOX 11 reported. The video did not show a readable license plate, so police posted it publicly to ask for help identifying the woman or the vehicle.

How police found her

Detectives used automated license plate reader technology to identify the minivan and trace it to an address in Anaheim, police said. They found the minivan inside Nguyen's garage. Police say she admitted the puppy was hers and that she had abandoned him.

Nguyen was booked into the Santa Ana Jail on suspicion of animal cruelty and animal abandonment, police said. FOX 11 reported she was released after posting $20,000 bail. Authorities have not disclosed a motive.

Santa Ana police spokesperson Officer Natalie Garcia told FOX 11, "It's completely horrendous." First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said, "Luring a defenseless puppy with food only to crush him beneath a vehicle is an act of appalling cruelty."

Two cases at once

FOX 11 reported that the Orange County case includes felony animal cruelty, animal abuse by a caretaker and a felony enhancement for using a vehicle as a weapon. NBC Los Angeles described the county charges as misdemeanor animal cruelty and abandonment.

The federal case is brought under the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, signed into law in 2019. The FBI is investigating alongside Santa Ana police, according to FOX 11.

What’s next

Nguyen was scheduled to appear in Orange County Superior Court on Nov. 2 on the state charges, FOX 11 reported; the outcome of that hearing had not been reported as of Nov. 7. She is expected to make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana in the coming weeks, according to NBC Los Angeles and FOX 11.