Update, Sept. 11: A jury found 48-year-old Peter Taraba guilty of felony arson Wednesday after a five-day trial. A vandalism charge was dismissed on the first day of trial. Taraba set fire to the Berkeley Animal Care Services shelter June 6. He was in custody at the Santa Rita Jail in Oakland Friday, scheduled for sentencing Oct. 8.
Original article, July 28: Berkeley’s city-run animal shelter has reopened a little less than two months after police say a disgruntled former pet owner torched the facility, located at the north end of Aquatic Park.
It’s not yet business as usual: Repairs are still underway, space for animals is at a premium and the shelter has curtailed how many surrendered dogs it can house. But as of Saturday, Berkeley Animal Care Services had resumed normal operating hours, according to city officials…