Woman in Custody After Allegedly Maiming a Dove at Cress Street Beach

A woman was arrested on April 7 at Cress Street Beach after several people called to report that she was allegedly harming a bird.

When officers arrived, they found Amber Kristen Castillo, a 34-year-old Laguna Beach resident, pulling the feathers off a mourning dove, according to Capt. Jason Kravetz of the Laguna Beach Police Department. She also reportedly had something to clip the bird’s wings.    

Castillo was arrested for a probation violation. The LBPD subsequently sent the crime report to the Orange County District Attorney’s office with a request that additional charges related to the animal abuse be filed.

According to Orange County Superior Court records, Castillo has been convicted of multiple violations over the past 10 years, including resisting arrest, failure to stop at an accident scene involving an injury or death, driving on a suspended license, being under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of a hypodermic needle, and receiving stolen property. In 2009, a jury found her guilty of child abuse and endangerment, for which she served time in prison.

As of today, Wednesday, Castillo was still being held in custody for the probation violation.

The dove survived the incident and was transported to the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach. 

"The dove is in home care with one of our wildlife care providers," said Kelly Beavers, a Center spokesperson. "It's missing a lot of feathers, but it's doing well and recuperating."