Owners of Killer Dogs Accused of Manslaughter

A Dulzura couple have been charged with involuntary manslaughter after their dogs attacked and killed their ranch hand last year.

The body of Roy Johnson, 69, was found a year ago today by an off-duty police officer who shot and killed one of two dogs that were “growling and baring their teeth” while circling Johnson’s body, a sheriff’s spokesman said after the death. Johnson was described by neighbors as a gentle man who cared for horses and pigs on the ranch of Charles and Cynthia Sue Duarte, who owned the dogs.

Each of the Duartes was charged Monday with two felony counts of involuntary manslaughter and owning mischievous animals resulting in death, said Linda Miller, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office. They could face up to four years in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Miller said. The prosecutor’s office has attempted to notify Charles, 56, and Cynthia Sue Duarte, 47, of the charges by both telephone and mail.

The delay in the charges was due, in part, to a lengthy wait for tests results from the county’s crime lab, Miller said.

“There’s a severe backlog of cases in the crime lab. It’s pretty well known that it hampers law enforcement in general,” Miller said.