EVERETT — An Everett man who shot and mutilated birds and squirrels outside his home for months was sentenced Wednesday to three years on probation.
Blayne Perez, 35, pleaded guilty in October to two counts of first-degree animal cruelty and one count of first-degree malicious mischief. Through a search warrant in 2022, officers uncovered mounds of animal carcasses in Perez’s home placed in “various gruesome displays,” according to the charging papers.
A state Fish and Wildlife officer said it was the “most disturbing and grotesque scene” he had seen in his entire career, court documents say.
On Wednesday, Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Miguel Duran handed down what’s known as a mental health sentencing alternative. A psychological evaluation found the defendant met the criteria for a depressive disorder, as well as an unspecified personality disorder, according to court documents.
“Blayne is not a cruel or sadistic person, rather he is creative, caring and highly resilient,” social worker Cheliana Crews wrote in a letter to the court. “However, his resilience has been overshadowed by the cumulative impacts of trauma, grief and addiction.”
Assistant Attorney General Scott Halloran opposed a sentencing alternative, arguing the defendant has demonstrated a “lack of credibility,” according to court documents.
Holloran instead recommended 364 days of confinement, within the standard sentencing range for first-degree animal cruelty with Perez’s criminal history.
Instead, defense attorney Benjamin Hoekstra recommended a range of 12 to 36 months of community custody, arguing Perez could use this time to get mental health treatment.
On Jan. 19, 2022, residents in the 2400 block of Columbia Avenue reported Perez was repeatedly shooting wildlife in their neighborhood, according to court documents. The neighbor reportedly told officers some of the birds were still alive after he shot them, and that Perez would shove sticks down their throats to display them.
A month later, investigators found in his shed birds nailed to the back wall and impaled on barbecue skewers, according to the charges. A crow was nailed to a log with its wings sprawled out. Another crow was missing its head.
Officers removed two air rifles and more than a dozen carcasses from Perez’s property. The defendant told officers he considered the animals to be pests.
In August, witnesses saw Perez dismembering animals in Lowell Riverfront Park, the court documents say. Perez admitted to shooting animals in the park, and once skinning a rabbit there.
A month later, officers arrested Perez for investigation of shooting his neighbor’s 8-month-old kitten in the eye, according to court documents.
In a letter to the court, Perez’s neighbors wrote that they still suffer from the incident.
“I wish I could say that we have recovered and that Hades our kitty has recovered, but that is not how trauma works,” the letter read. “However … if stopping Blayne from harming other animals and potentially people was part of our family trauma, then so be it.”
Perez remained out of custody after he was charged last March by the state attorney general’s Environmental Protection Division. In January, he spent less than a day in jail for a DUI in Bothell, according to inmate logs.
On Monday, prosecutors charged Perez with second-degree robbery in the theft of over $400 in merchandise from Staples at 4920 Evergreen Way.
His arraignment in that case is set for April 15.
Maya Tizon: 425-339-3434; maya.tizon@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @mayatizon.
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