Reba's Law takes aim at wide range of animal cruelty, giving prosecutors more tools
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The horrific circumstances surrounding the death of Reba — the English bulldog that died after being abandoned in a sealed plastic tub left next to a dumpster on a hot Las Vegas day — proved to be the tipping point for prosecutors and the public.
But 'Reba's Law,' a nickname assigned to Assembly Bill 381 (AB381) in the Nevada Legislature, isn't only about sending the worst offenders to prison. It's also about establishing a wider range of penalties so prosecutors can make the punishment fit the crime.
Current law handcuffs prosecutors, giving them only misdemeanors to punish people involved in a wide variety of animal cruelty cases. The sentences available range from one to four years in prison, even when the animal dies. AB381 would impose tougher penalties — one to 10 years in prison — in the most extreme cases. The bill also contains penalties for hurting or killing a police dog, as well as establishing crimes for failing to stop someone from an act of animal cruelty.
'Often, the individuals who are charged with animal abuse and cruelty have a very, 'It's not that serious,' kind of demeanor. 'It's just a cat. It's just a dog. It's just a pet. I didn't harm or kill a human being,' ' Agnes Botelho, chief deputy district attorney at the Clark County District Attorney's Office, told lawmakers.
Botelho has handled some of the most egregious cases in recent years and spoke in support of AB381 on Wednesday.
'This bill and the increase in potential punishments will send the message that these crimes against innocent animals are serious and important and will be treated as such by the public, lawmakers and the courts, and hopefully deter this terrible behavior that was once considered not that big of a deal,' Botelho said.
'Reba's Law' at Nevada Legislature toughens penalties for animal cruelty, torture
Republican Assem. Melissa Hardy, who sponsored AB381, said, 'The reason for this hearing today comes from an unspeakable tragedy. The story behind this legislation is heartbreaking and difficult to tell. Passing this bill will show that Nevada is a state that values and protects life — all life — and we stand up and those that are voiceless and can't advocate for themselves.'
Isaac Laushaul Jr., 32, and Markeisha Foster, 30, were arrested in December 2024, about six months after Reba was found near a grocery store on E. Twain Avenue near Maryland Parkway and Flamingo Road. It was 110 degrees outside and Reba died two days later from the effects of heat stroke. The trial for Laushaul and Foster is scheduled to start on June 16.
Testimony from people who back the bill showed the public's sadness over recent crimes that have made headlines. People struggled to speak as their voices broke and they were overcome by emotion.
Gina Greisen, an advocate for animals for years in Las Vegas, talked specifically about a case involving animal hoarders who were arrested in Boulder City after eluding punishment elsewhere.
Officers found 42 animals dead in a freezer. A man and a woman in their 70s faced misdemeanor charges in Boulder City and felony charges in Clark County, but now those 16 felony charges have been reduced to a single felony, Greisen said. And the DA isn't opposing probation.
'I'm very concerned about the number of cases that end in probation. And I'm talking about heinous cases,' Greisen told lawmakers.
Botelho said the DA's office doesn't often pursue severe penalties in animal cruel cases. Prosecutors and the courts need the flexibility that AB381 would bring, especially in cases that aren't clearly malicious.
Reba's Law would allow consideration of reckless conduct. She talked about the challenges in prosecuting offenders who don't cross the line into malicious behavior, but hurt animals because they make reckless decisions.
Among those cases: People who leave dogs in hot cars with the air conditioning on, only to have the AC fail. She also talked about people who try to dock the tails of certain breeds without taking them to a vet. That leads to suffering, but probably can't be prosecuted as a felony.
Officials with the public defender's offices in Clark and Washoe counties opposed the bill because it tends to be enforced more often against low-income people who can't afford high vet bills. They cited a variety of other reasons, including a requirement for people to intervene in violent situations.
'This bill establishes a duty to intervene when someone is witnessing animal abuse,' Paloma Guerrero of the Clark County Public Defender's Office said. 'We cannot have a duty to intervene on an already dangerous, violent situation without increasing the risk of death and substantial bodily harm to human life.
'When you impose on citizens a duty to intervene on someone that is violently kicking a dog, maybe stabbing a dog, maybe has a gun … we cannot ask that person to put themselves in danger as well,' Guerrero said.
Several amendments have been offered for AB381, and the bill's sponsors are continuing to work on the wording in Reba's Law.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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