A Phoenix Police Department Neighborhood Enforcement officer patrolling near 4th Avenue and Baseline Road on Monday spotted a man loitering along a South Phoenix canal, then watched him hold a chain over the rushing water while only a dog’s head and snout broke the surface. Officers say the man, later identified as 53-year-old Baldemar Ruiz Mora, then used his leg to shove the dog back into the current.
According to FOX 10 Phoenix, Mora was arrested and now faces one count of animal cruelty, one count of possessing dangerous drugs, and one count of narcotic drug possession. Per court documents cited by the outlet, officers searching Mora found a backpack containing a few grams of a white powdery substance, which a controlled substance officer field-tested as methamphetamine, along with a single blue M/30 pill.
After being read his Miranda rights, Mora told officers he was just letting his dog swim, the outlet reports. That explanation runs against basic canal safety rules in the region: the Salt River Project, which operates the 131-mile canal system across Greater Phoenix, strictly prohibits swimming, wading, or any recreational entry into the waterways because of their steep, concrete-lined banks and high-velocity flows, according to Salt River Project.
A Backpack, a Denial, and a Change of Story
Court documents describe a shifting account from Mora during questioning. He first said he had simply found the backpack along the canal, per the same court records, before later admitting he had used methamphetamine in the past and claiming he was not going to use the methamphetamine found on him this time…