A Litigation Article from All-Creatures.org



Real Justice for Maya

From Doll Stanley, IDA In Defense of Animals
May 2024

Jaimes was sentenced to nearly six years of incarceration. This sentence also includes mandatory anger management, a three-year probation period following her release, registration on an animal abuser registry, and a lifelong ban from contact with animals.

Husky Maya
Husky Maya

The safe living situation for Maya, a nine-year-old husky, began unraveling when her guardian noticed recurring, severe injuries that baffled everyone involved except the perpetrator. These injuries, which persisted for months, left her family searching for answers.

It wasn’t until May 2023, after a veterinarian recommended installing hidden surveillance, that the truth came to light through disturbing footage capturing the acts of cruelty inflicted by Elizabeth Jaimes, who was living with her then boyfriend and his mother who made up Maya’s family in Tampa, Florida.

The video was harrowing to watch and it left me and our team deeply shaken!

The footage showed Jaimes striking Maya with a rubber mallet. Maya was off-screen, but you can hear her distressed cries of pain and fear. Each swing of the mallet, and each cry from Maya, made us flinch with the stark reminder of the cruelty animals can face. While the evidence was crucial for our legal pursuit, watching it was extremely difficult, and the only consolation was knowing it would play a pivotal role in seeking justice for Maya.

Dog beaten with mallet
Image of the perpetrator holding the mallet

After a thorough investigation, which suggested that the abuse might have started as early as October 2022, Jaimes was arrested and charged with aggravated cruelty to animals with a weapon — a second-degree felony.

Thanks to the vigorous prosecution by the 13th District State Attorney Susan Lopez and the support of over 15,000 In Defense of Animals advocates, Jaimes was sentenced to nearly six years of incarceration. This sentence also includes mandatory anger management, a three-year probation period following her release, registration on an animal abuser registry, and a lifelong ban from contact with animals.

This outcome marks a rare and necessary victory in our ongoing fight against animal cruelty. It underscores the importance of our collective vigilance and advocacy, ensuring that perpetrators of such vile acts face the full weight of the law.

As I want to thank you for always coming through to help animals in need. Your signatures, calls, social media posts, and contributions enable us to keep fighting for justice and provide education on animal welfare. Please consider making a donation to help us carry on this critical work.

Thank you for your unwavering support and for standing alongside us as we advocate for those whose cries for pain and fear so often go ignored. Together, we can prevent tragedies like Maya’s and ensure a safer world for all animals.


Posted on All-Creatures: May 29, 2024
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