Pet owners find 'grisly' scene inside San Marcos crematory. Owner arrested, accused of grand theft

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Angel Paws Pet Cremation appeared to be a nondescript San Marcos business, where grieving clients brought in their dearly departed pets — until they stopped getting their calls returned, and the building began to smell.Angel Paws owner Christopher Settle was arrested Tuesday for alleged grand theft, in a scheme prosecutors say involved taking in pets for cremations, collecting the payment, and leaving them in freezers to rot as he distributed false ashes.The San Marcos station of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Settle’s arrest outside of his Temecula home on a warrant issued that day in North County Superior Court.He was released on bond the next day and awaits his scheduled Dec.

10 court appearance.The San Marcos cremation business was under scrutiny since early this year, when clients raised concerns on social media and to local news stations about Angel Paws’s closure with their pets’ remains reportedly still inside.Officials say that the local power company had cut off the gas and electricity due to missed payments since July 9, which would have left the carcasses decomposing for up to five months before Settle’s eviction in November.An affidavit in support of the arrest warrant, obtained by the San Diego Union-Tribune, said Settle’s incinerator operating permit expired in March 2024.According to sheriff’s office reports, deputies responded to calls from several former clients who gathered in front of Angel Paws in late September, demanding answers.

While Settle was initially unresponsive, deputies convinced him to allow the clients in, where local cremation company owner Gerry Wellman recounted a “grisly” scene of stacked, partially frozen pet bodies.California Wag Hotels, which has locations in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a consumer protection lawsuit.“It’s just a fiasco,” said Wellman, w...