Discovery of Malnourished, Injured Dogs Leads to Arrest in Ocean View

Alfred Cababag

An Ocean View man was taken into custody on suspicion of animal cruelty after dozens of dogs were found undernourished and injured on his property.

Hawai‘i Police Department was alerted to the canines in December after receiving calls from the public about possible animal neglect on a property on Lureine Line. Working with members of the Hawai‘i Rainbow Rangers, detectives and officers determined that an estimated 50 dogs were on the property.

On Feb. 2, authorities executed a search warrant on the property, owned by 61-year-old Alfred Cababag. While there, officers found 53 dogs. Members of the Hawai‘i Rainbow Rangers conducted a field assessment and determined that 46 of the dogs were either undernourished and/or injured and were in need of additional care.

The dogs were transported by the Hawai‘i Rainbow Rangers to an animal shelter in Kamuela where a veterinarian will conduct a thorough examination of each dog.

Cababag, who was at the property at the time, was arrested for suspicion of second-degree cruelty to animals and released pending further investigation. The investigation will be forwarded to the Prosecutor’s Office after a complete evaluation of the animals has been concluded.

Cruelty to animals in the second degree is a felony offense if it involves more than 10 pet animals being neglected or abused.

The Hawai‘i  Police Department encourages the public to report any suspicion of animal neglect or abuse by calling the police department’s non-emergency number at 808-935-3311.