LAKE HUGHES, CA — A 57-year-old California woman who operated a self-described animal rescue has been charged with 35 felony and misdemeanor counts after Los Angeles County investigators removed more than 300 neglected animals from her unlicensed Lake Hughes property in March 2026.
Christine De Anda, operator of Rock ‘N’ Pawz, faces up to 24 years and six months in state prison if convicted on all counts, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The charges were announced Friday, Sept. 19, 2026, and stem from what animal control officials described as the largest companion-animal search warrant and rescue operation ever conducted in the department’s history. Prosecutors have requested bail be set at $914,500. De Anda’s arraignment is scheduled for a later date at the Antelope Valley Courthouse. Her civil attorney, Daniel Josephson, said his client disputes the allegations and contends that the search warrant relied on false information, including inaccurate descriptions of conditions and inflated estimates of the number of animals on the property.
On March 20, 2026, personnel from the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control, along with investigators from the county’s departments of Regional Planning, Public Works and Public Health, and the District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation, executed a search warrant at the Lake Hughes property. What they found, according to prosecutors, was a facility operating without proper authorization and housing animals in conditions that had deteriorated over several years. Authorities recovered 233 dogs, 66 cats, one goose, one parrot, one pig, one rabbit and two goats — all of which are being held in county facilities as evidence in the case. Investigators said the air inside the property was so saturated with urine and ammonia that rescue workers wore respirators. District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said De Anda had not only failed to care for the animals but had actively continued soliciting public donations to run the rescue while the conditions worsened. “For someone who calls herself an animal rescuer, there’s a fundamental responsibility to protect and care for the animals entrusted to her,” Hochman said. “Instead, purported rescuer Christine De Anda allegedly left these animals to suffer or die from starvation, dehydration, untreated injuries and painful urine and fecal burns in filthy conditions.”
According to the District Attorney’s Office, animals at the Rock ‘N’ Pawz facility were confined in overcrowded cages, covered in feces, and suffering from starvation, dehydration, open wounds and untreated medical conditions. Some animals were found eating their own feces. Investigators noted that dogs were bending kennel wire in what an employee described as an attempt to reach water. Prosecutors said De Anda had instructed staff not to keep water inside the cages because it might spill and create extra work. Many animals were severely underweight or emaciated. At least one cat was found dead on the property from starvation and dehydration before rescue workers could intervene. Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control Director Marcia Mayeda said teams worked to stabilize the animals and provide emergency medical care after removal, but acknowledged that not all could be saved. “Sadly, despite all efforts, we were unable to save every animal due to the extent of their illnesses and injuries,” Mayeda said. De Anda’s neighbors told The Los Angeles Times that they had heard barking and detected foul smells from the property and had reported those concerns to local authorities prior to the March raid.
Prosecutors allege the neglect at Rock ‘N’ Pawz was not a sudden or isolated breakdown but a pattern that persisted over multiple years despite repeated intervention by county authorities. According to the District Attorney’s Office, De Anda received numerous citations and warnings from the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control regarding her inability to properly care for the animals she was taking in. Rather than reducing the number of animals at the facility or seeking outside help, she allegedly continued accepting more animals, allowing conditions to worsen. The facility was also operating outside multiple layers of legal compliance. De Anda is accused of running an animal kennel without the required land-use approval, maintaining structures on the property that featured unpermitted construction, plumbing, electrical and grading work, and failing to obtain a kennel license. The March operation placed significant additional strain on the county’s already crowded shelter network. More than 100 animals were transported to the county shelter in Downey immediately after the raid. To create space, animal welfare organizations Wings of Rescue and Paws for Life K9 Rescue coordinated a flight that moved approximately 100 dogs already housed in Southern California shelters to the Chicago area for adoption in the days following the seizure.
De Anda faces 12 felony counts of cruelty to an animal and two felony counts of grand theft of labor, in addition to 21 misdemeanor counts. The misdemeanor charges include three counts of animal cruelty, 12 code enforcement violations, two counts of failure to care for an animal, and one count each of failure to provide food and water, injurious conditions, unsanitary conditions in enclosures and operating a kennel without a license. The grand theft of labor charges suggest prosecutors believe De Anda may have taken advantage of volunteers or employees who contributed work under the belief they were helping animals receive proper care. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorneys Jessica Palasik of the Antelope Valley Branch Office and Nichol Walgren of the Environmental Crimes Division and Code Enforcement Section. A warrant has been issued for De Anda’s arrest, and her arraignment date at the Antelope Valley Courthouse has not yet been set. If convicted on all counts, she faces a maximum sentence of 24 years and six months in state prison. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office released video footage documenting conditions at the facility to support the charges.
Multiple agencies and animal welfare organizations were required to manage the scope of the March rescue operation. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles, Pasadena Humane and Kern County Animal Services all assisted the county Department of Animal Care and Control in removing, triaging and housing the animals. Mayeda called the operation unprecedented in the department’s history. “More than 300 animals were removed from severely inhumane conditions,” she said. “Animals were living in and saturated with their own excrement, had serious untreated illnesses and injuries, were emaciated, and were forced to live in small crates without adequate room to properly lie comfortably. Our teams have worked tirelessly to stabilize them, provide the medical care they needed, and help them recover.” Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger also issued a statement calling the alleged conditions “horrifying and unacceptable.” “Animal cruelty has no place in our communities,” Barger said. “Anyone entrusted with the care of animals has a responsibility to protect their health and well-being. When that trust is violated, there must be accountability.” Hochman added that all animals seized from the property are being kept in county facilities as evidence while the criminal case proceeds. “Those who engage in these criminal acts against these animals will suffer the consequences,” he said.
De Anda is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Her civil attorney has indicated she intends to contest the charges, arguing the search warrant was based on inaccurate information. Her arraignment at the Antelope Valley Courthouse will mark the next major milestone in the case, with prosecutors seeking a bail amount of $914,500 before proceedings begin.
