'A crime that thrives in isolation.' Animal cruelty on the rise in Seattle area

Animal cruelty cases have nearly doubled in King County since the start of 2020.

So far, the King County Prosecutor's Office has filed 21 felony animal cruelty cases. The office says it expects to file even more cases before year's end, and says the uptick is part of a larger upward trend in violent crimes this year.

Nine of the 21 felony cases filed this year came about in the past two months alone, said Tali Smith, a deputy prosecuting attorney with the county.

"Tensions are high, and so people are committing violence overall," Smith said. "We've seen a rise in violence across the board with domestic violence, homicide."

One of those cases involved a West Seattle man, Matthew Hazelbrook, who has been charged with 17 counts of animal cruelty. Hazelbrook was arrested in October after police discovered 200 animals — many of which were locked in cages without water or food — in his home.

Another man, Felix H. Liu, is accused of drowning his cat and breaking its neck while under the influence of alcohol.

Victoria VanNocken with the Seattle City Attorney's Office pointed to an observable link between animal cruelty and domestic violence cases in Seattle over the past decade.

"There was a 67% link with [animal cruelty offenders] and having a criminal domestic violence history," she said. "A lot of people want to know, is this increasing ... because of the pandemic? And what I would say is that animal cruelty, like domestic violence, is a crime that thrives in isolation."

VanNocken added that being at home more than usual amid social distancing increases the odds that people will turn their frustrations toward the people and animals they live with.

She also said that the city works to cross train both Seattle police officers and animal control officers to detect signs of both domestic and animal abuse when responding to a call about one or the other.

"What we're trying to do is not just educate law enforcement and the animal investigators about this link, but also let them know that sometimes it's hard to talk to an investigator about what's happened to you personally, and the violence that's been perpetrated against you," VanNocken said. "But maybe it's a little bit easier to talk about what the person has done to your Jack Russell Terrier, for example."

In addition to an increasing number of felony animal abuse cases, this year has also seen more misdeamenor cases than normal. Those cases arise from situations of neglect, rather than outright violence against animals.

VanNocken said that people who may be struggling to care for their pets during the pandemic can turn to the Seattle Animal Shelter for resources, including donations, before their circumstances rise to the level of criminal neglect. The shelter can be reached at 206-386-7387.

"And if it really becomes a severe situation where a person just can't care for their animal or animals, then I would urge people to surrender the animal to the animal shelter," she said.

Additionally, officials say they encourage people to reach out to them about suspected animal abuse as many times as it takes to get a response.

It may take more than one call, often, it does take more than one call," said Ann Graves, executive director of the Seattle Animal Shelter.

"Sometimes, that helps doesn't look at the outset like it's much more enough," Graves added. "That's where, again, we just so much rely on the community to continue to make those phone calls, continue to tell us what you're seeing, and reporting those things to us so that we have the opportunity to continue to try and work through situations. It's sometimes just going to take some time."

This story was updated on December 8 to include two new felony animal cruelty cases filed by the King County Prosecutor's Office.