New DA will add new Animal Cruelty Unit

Two days after KRDO aired a report about a man facing criminal charges for blinding a dog by digging his thumbs into his eyes, incoming District Attorney Michael Allen announced that he is putting together a special Animal Cruelty Unit that will focus on crimes against animals.

Allen, who won the position in the 4th Judicial District after the primary election in early 2020 but only took office recently, said establishing the unit is one of his top priorities and is a unique addition for Colorado.

"I don't know of any other large DA's office in the state that has an animal cruelty unit," he said Thursday.

Allen's primary reason for creating that new unit was not necessarily his respect for animals, but his respect for humans.

"There's an undeniable link between people who are willing to commit crimes on animals, with their willingness to also commit crimes against people," he explained.

According to Allen, one example of that is Patrick Frazee.

Frazee was convicted in 2019 of brutally murdering Woodland Park mother Kelsey Berreth, whose body was never found, but is believed to have been burned at Frazee's ranch following a fatal beating inside her condo in late 2018.

Prior to his trial, attorneys filed several motions over whether that evidence of animal cruelty could be presented.

The goal of the new unit, however, is not just to help with prosecution, but prevention.

"If you stop it at the animals, that's good, right? it's preventing future violent action against a person hopefully."

Other priorities for Allen are revamping the homicide unit to make sure the office is prepared to take on high profile cases, and also to increase transparency in response to more demands for accountability by the public.