Photo: Marcus Beale
April 12, 2021 – Ventura County, Ca.
Ventura is a diverse county, with communities spread from the shores of the Pacific to the mountainous peaks of Lockwood Valley, in the northeastern reaches of the jurisdiction. Those remote inland communities are often home to folks who simply hope to find the isolation and privacy not always afforded in more urban areas.
That isolation failed to prevent law enforcement from becoming suspicious of the activities and lifestyle of 54-year-old Marcus Beale and his 32-year-old son Malcom Beale. According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Deputy Sam Moss, on April 7th , deputies at the Lockwood Valley Sheriff’s Station received reports of alleged animal cruelty taking place at the Beale property.
Malcom Beale
Two days later, with a search warrant in hand, and supported by the collaborative efforts of the Sheriff’s Gang Unit, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Ventura County Animal Services Humane Society, and Ventura County Code Enforcement, deputies entered the Beales’ property and discovered evidence of “significant animal neglect and abuse.” That evidence included three dead pigs in the same pen as three live pigs, and “other animals in insufficient conditions including a lack of water.”
Those animals included six cows, six dogs, five horses, four pigs, and a ferret, all of which were seized and removed from the property by Ventura County Animal Services. Both father and son were taken into custody and transported to Ventura County Jail, where they were booked on a charge of felony animal cruelty, with their bail set at $10,000 each.
Photos: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
