Frank Guerra: California Man Allegedly Kept His Girlfriend In A Dog Crate, Tortured Her For Months

Frank Guerra, a 22-year-old man from Turlock, California, has been arrested and accused of torturing his ex-girlfriend. Guerra is accused of physically harming his girlfriend, who has not been named, and locking her in a dog crate for hours at a time. His cruel actions continued for a period of five months, at the end of which, the girl managed to escape and tell her story.

According to Fox News, the tale of abuse started in the first week of August, 2015, and continued unabated till January, 2016. Even though the woman had managed to escape in January, she did not contact the police until February. On Monday, Frank Guerra pleaded not guilty to charges that included kidnapping and battery. He was denied bail by the court, and has been barred from contacting the woman.

A report by the Modesto Bee describes the torture the women suffered at the hands of Guerra starting August 1, 2015, to January 4, 2016. The report quotes Deputy District Attorney Beth DeJong, who alleges that Guerra forced the woman into a dog crate that measured 30 inches by 48 inches, and went to work for the whole day, returning only by evening. The crate had an inside height of just 32 inches. Guerra also ordered the woman to urinate into a dog bowl that he had kept inside the crate. He also allegedly smeared her face with dog feces on several occasions, the woman alleges.

“Guerra bit her on the back and she’ll have permanent scarring. He locked her in a dog crate. (Sometimes) he pushed her to the ground and kicked her until she’d go inside.”

In a complaint filed against Guerro, it states the following.

“Guerra did willfully, unlawfully, feloniously and forcibly steal, take and arrest and carry the said person to another part of Stanislaus County.”

When asked as to why the woman did not report the incident soon after her escape, DeJong claimed that Guerra had too much power — both mental and physical — over the victim, and that she was too scared. Guerra had also threatened her with dire consequences and convinced her that the treatment she received was totally deserved.

“He literally had it in my heart that I deserved everything… That I’m worthless, that I have nobody.”

Guerra also threatened the woman by sending her photos of him with a gun and told her that he would post her nude photos on social media websites. He also sent an audio message which was laden with profanity. The clip is now being used as evidence against Guerra.

Attorney DeJong read out bits of the message in the courtroom.

“I know what I (expletive) did to you… Putting you in a cage, (expletive) biting you… Not (expletive) trusting you… “

Hearing the case was Judge Ruben Villalobos, who denied a bail to Guerra. He also issued a protective order that orders him to not contact the victim in any manner or come within 100 yards of her.

According to reports, Guerra was assigned Deputy Public Defender Saul Garcia by the judge. The hearing on the case resumes this Friday. Turlock is located approximately 100 miles east of San Francisco.

[Image via Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office]