Court grants mental health diversion in Paso Robles animal cruelty case

By Paso Robles Press · Thu Oct 15 2026

Former SLO County News administrator faces seven felony counts; prosecutors opposed diversion

A Paso Robles woman who helped establish a local Facebook news group has been granted two years of mental health diversion in an animal cruelty case involving allegations that more than 30 cats died in her home.

The court granted Laurie Lee Bryant’s request Oct. 12 over objections from the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office. Bryant faces seven felony counts of animal cruelty stemming from alleged neglect between October 2023 and August 2024, according to District Attorney Dan Dow.

The court imposed conditions including a four-cat limit, compliance checks by San Luis Obispo County Animal Services, a firearms prohibition and regular court review. The ruling is not a conviction, and Bryant remains presumed innocent.

Bryant was a founder and administrator of SLO County News, a Facebook community group sharing reports about traffic collisions, fires, public safety and other local developments. She stepped down in October 2024 after news reports about the animal investigation became public. At the time, she denied harming animals and said she did not want the controversy to affect the group.

The District Attorney’s Office announced the charges in February 2025 following an Animal Services investigation at the Presidio Apartments in Paso Robles. Investigators found living and deceased cats inside an apartment, with surviving animals showing varying signs of neglect or illness, according to the original announcement. The surviving cats received immediate medical treatment, and the apartment was remediated.

In his statement about the diversion ruling, Dow said prosecutors urged the court to deny Bryant’s request because of the extent of the alleged suffering.

“The cats in this case suffered and died in conditions no living creature should endure, and they had no voice to ask for help,” Dow said. “Our prosecutor objected because that kind of suffering deserves accountability.”

Dow said California’s mental health diversion law gives judges limited grounds to deny a request based on public safety concerns. According to his statement, the safety standard focuses on whether a defendant is likely to commit one of a narrow group of the most serious violent crimes.

The alleged harm to the cats did not fall within that definition, leaving little legal basis to deny diversion on those grounds, Dow said. His office nevertheless asked the court to reject the request.

“Under current law, though, judges have little room to weigh the harm to victims when a defendant presents a qualifying diagnosis,” Dow said.

He said mental health treatment is important but argued that the justice system should give greater consideration to victims, including animals dependent on people for their care.

The District Attorney’s Office plans to monitor Bryant’s compliance with the court’s conditions.

“We will closely monitor Ms. Bryant’s compliance and will ask the Court to resume prosecution if she fails to meet her obligations,” Dow said.

San Luis Obispo County Animal Services investigated the case. Deputy District Attorney Hunter Starr is handling the prosecution.