Bail reduced for alleged Coachella puppy dumper

During a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, bail was reduced for a woman accused of dumping seven puppies near a dumpster in Coachella.

Deborah Sue Culwell, 54, was first arrested in April for the alleged crime.

During Wednesday’s proceedings, the judge reduced Culwell’s bail from $50,000 to $40,000, ordered her to not have dogs in her possession, and also decided that Animal Control would have the right to come to inspect her property on a monthly basis without notice.

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At noon, court broke for lunch. The hearing continued at 1:30 p.m.

The prosecution called a Riverside County Animal Control official to the stand after the break. A detective from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office also took the stand before the break.

Culwell will return to court on August 6 at 8:30 a.m.

Culwell has remained in custody, court records show, since her first felony settlement conference last month, during which a judge increased her bail — at the request of prosecutors — from $10,000 to $50,000.

She is accused of leaving a litter of 3-day-old puppies in a trash bin outside a Napa Auto Parts store at 49251 Grapefruit Blvd. on April 18. Security surveillance video from the location linked her to the crime, authorities said.

During Wednesday’s hearing, photos of the discarded puppies, the bag thew were dumped in, as well as the surveillance footage allegedly showing Culwell committing the crime were shown in open court.

The video showed a woman with a ponytail in a short skirt exiting a Jeep with a plastic bag just after 1 p.m. and depositing the sealed bag in the bin, according to county Department of Animal Services spokesman John Welsh. A passerby rummaged through the bin about 15 minutes later and found the bag full of squealing puppies, believed to be terrier mixes, he said.

The passerby, identified only as “John,” took the puppies into the air-conditioned store. With the temperature climbing above 90 degrees, Welsh said he doubted the newborns would have survived very long in the bin. One of the animals, described as the runt of the litter, died days later.

Culwell was taken into custody April 22 after animal control officers served an arrest warrant at her Third Street residence and impounded 38 canines found on the property. Culwell, who initially posted her $10,000 bail, subsequently surrendered ownership of the animals, which appeared to be terrier mixes ranging from 1 to 5 years old.

If convicted of seven felony animal cruelty counts, Culwell could face up to six years in jail, according to District Attorney’s Office spokesman John Hall. Welsh acknowledged, however, that jail time in an animal cruelty case is rare, with most offenders receiving probation and fines.