LANCASTER – A former assistant superintendent with the Palmdale School District was sentenced Thursday to 270 days in county jail and ordered to attend two-dozen animal cruelty classes for the abuse of 19 pit bulls found at her Antelope Acres home.
Pauline Ruth Winbush, 53, was also ordered to serve five years on formal probation in connection with her April 5 no contest plea to one felony count each of possession with intent for dog fighting and animal neglect.
Co-defendant Kevin Williams, 52, was sentenced to a year in jail, along with 24 animal cruelty classes and five years probation.
Williams — described by prosecutors as Winbush’s boyfriend when the two were charged in 2014 — pleaded no contest to the same two charges as Winbush.
A judge suspended state prison terms of three years and eight months, which the two will not have to serve unless they violate the terms of their probation.
A third defendant, Rodney Scott, 47, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of animal cruelty. He is set to be sentenced next April.
In late 2014, officers from the county’s Department of Animal Care and Control searched Winbush’s Antelope Acres property after a horse belonging to Winbush and Williams was found roaming the streets. They discovered dogs being kept inside the home in crates that were filled with feces and urine, according to Deputy District Attorney Lyle Riggs.
Some of the dogs showed signs of being used for dog fighting, and the animals had to be euthanized. Other animals found included a tortoise, snakes and a box full of mice that appeared to be eating each other out of hunger, Riggs said.
At an earlier court hearing, it was revealed that evidence discovered at the property linked Scott to the couple in an operation to breed pit bulls for fighting, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
At the time of the raid, Winbush was an assistant superintendent for the Palmdale School District, whose board voted unanimously last year to terminate her employment agreement.
Previous related stories:
Former school administrator pleads to animal abuse
School administrator accused of dogfighting fired
Trial ordered for school administrator charged with dog fighting, animal cruelty, child abuse
PSD administrator charged with dog fighting, animal cruelty, child abuse
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Marni says
There was no justice here. They will soon be free to torture more dogs. What happened to serving at least 15 years for this brutality?
Olimpia Marina says
Long term behind bars .Hope the inmates will give her what she deserves.
Dona LaSchiava says
ABOMINABLE DERELICTION OF JUSTICE!!!!!!!!!!!!! The damn judicial system is revoltingly complicit in these heinous animal cruelty incidents! It should be mandatory for any and all judges handling these cases to personally view both the living and deceased victims of this vile sub-human savagery and investigated for any personal participation in dog fighting prior to presiding over any cases involving dog fighting. There are absolutely zero sane or logical justifications for the judge to have suspended the prison terms for these evil monsters, zero!
b says
Simply not enough time. That bitch deserves 19 years for all 19 dogs found in her home, if not more time. The laws on animal cruelty need to be more strict for people like her.
rick johnston says
[removed]. Put her [removed] in prison and let the inmates beat the crap out of this slime scum. In fact~hang her
Melitta says
The laws need to be addressed regarding animal care and protection. More stringent laws. More sever penalties.
Pit Owner in Lancaster says
How come Rex can exterminate pit bulls and no one gives a damn?
Winbush deserves much more than she got. Rex got nothing and deserves to get punished.
Miriam says
White trash
Times Reader says
how about an eye for an eye? Lock it (her) up in a cage with her own feces and urine for 270 days.
Melitta says
Cruel and inhumane? Yes! Good. Appropriate!
Amber says
That’s practically what jail is!
Somebody says
What goes around comes around, Pauline! You have been cruel to animals and to people who worked under you! Too bad you couldn’t be convicted for the human lives you negatively affected! Where’s your “moral turpitude”??? You never had any and you and Roger should’ve been fired years ago for your reign of terror, and intimidation of the hard working educators of PSD!
How far was the fall, Cruella?? Orange is the new black! You got off easy! You know you were the mastermind behind the dogfighting. And, to have your children living in filth! So much integrity!
When you get out of jail, one can only hope that you have reflected on how you callously treated those animals and those who were not in your inner circle! We hope it makes you a kinder, more compassionate person. Otherwise, I’m sure karma will come back to bite you again- like a pitbull!
Be a better person, Pauline!
Quigley says
@Somebody….nailed it! Pauline is sitting in her prison cell, Roger is cruising and vacationing most likely with his PSD contract $$$ that Corrales & her board were so thoughtful to hand over, because of his health issues?!! Amazing what money & power can do to people! Karma will strike more then once, so better keep your cell door locked and wear a life jacket!
Robin says
they should be sentenced to 270 days for each count they were convicted of. God has a special place in Purgatory for people like this……smh
Your Boss says
She’s should be sentenced harsher than a regular person, she should know better.
ANNON says
What a douche…
banter says
“animal cruelty classes” will do no good for these people, they are human garbage, all the classes in the world wont force them to have compassion for animals.
lisa says
19 lifes are only worth 270 days in jail??? what a joke… what happened to animal abuse being a class a felony?