Cabazon Man Arrested After Viral Video Shows Dog Abuse, Says It Was Discipline

A Cabazon man is under investigation in a possible felony animal cruelty case after a video that surfaced online in July appeared to show him physically abusing his dog, an incident he later defended to a local television station as necessary discipline. Craig Vincent D'Alessandro was arrested on August 13 following an investigation by Riverside County Animal Services, and the two dogs seen in the video remain in the agency's custody, unavailable for adoption while the case moves through the legal system.

According to NBC Palm Springs, the Riverside County District Attorney's Office is reviewing the evidence and, per animal services officials, is expected to file felony animal cruelty charges. D'Alessandro is scheduled to appear in court on September 28 at the Indio Larson Justice Center. The investigation remains ongoing, and the outlet cautioned that the underlying video footage may be disturbing or graphic for some viewers.

D'Alessandro has not stayed quiet about the case. In a July interview with local station KESQ News Channel 3, he defended his actions shown in the viral video as necessary discipline, claiming that one of his dogs had escaped the previous day and killed a neighbor's goat. He said he refused to apologize for what happened and declined to cooperate with animal control investigators.

How the Dogs Ended Up in County Custody

Riverside County Department of Animal Services officers removed the two dogs from the Cabazon property on July 9, holding them under a mandatory 14-day confiscation period while the agency conducted a joint investigation with sheriff's deputies, according to the department. The dogs were unavailable for adoption during the investigation, which is why they remain off the county's placement lists more than a month after they were first seized.

The timing of the seizure added strain to a shelter system already stretched thin. When the dogs were taken in, county facilities were operating at 230% capacity, forcing officials to issue emergency public appeals for foster homes, per the animal services department. The Western Riverside County/City Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley was identified as the placement site for a separate 2024 seizure, according to the Hope Paws Support Fund.

What Felony Charges Could Mean for D'Alessandro

Under California Penal Code Section 597, animal cruelty is classified as a wobbler offense that prosecutors can charge as either a misdemeanor or a felony, according to the law firm Cron, Israels & Stark. Any penalties or restrictions on animal ownership would be determined in the legal proceedings.

Not the First Cruelty Case to Hit Cabazon

This is not the first time the unincorporated Pass area community has drawn scrutiny over animal treatment. In August 2024, a separate felony animal cruelty case in Cabazon resulted in the seizure of five starved horses, 10 dogs, and 45 birds from a property on Esperanza Avenue, as Banning Patch reported at the time. Hoodline covered that case as well, in a 2024 felony cruelty case involving emaciated animals found on the same stretch of desert.

Cases like D'Alessandro's arrive against a backdrop of a county animal welfare system with four shelter locations: Jurupa Valley, San Jacinto, Coachella Valley, and Blythe.

The separate 2024 seizure involved assistance from local deputies, and coverage of that case identified the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's Cabazon Station. Budget pressures could affect field deputy positions, as noted in coverage of a separate Cabazon case involving the same station. For now, D'Alessandro's two dogs remain under county care as the investigation continues and prosecutors decide whether to formally file the felony charges ahead of his September court date.