ARVADA, Colo. — An Arvada man was sentenced to four years in the Colorado Department of Corrections and two years’ probation after pleading guilty to two felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty, police said Wednesday.
Tyler Willbanks, 30, was accused of severe abuse and death in connection with several animals under his care. The accusations came from a tip submitted to Arvada PD’s Animal Management Unit in August of this year that alleged Willbanks would repeatedly buy pets that would later die or suffer severe injuries, starting from 2019 through 2025.
During the investigation into Willbanks, an Arvada officer with the department’s Animal Management Unit got in touch with several veterinarian clinics around the Denver metro to collect records pertaining to Willbanks.
The records detailed over two dozen appointments at more than 10 different veterinarian offices or hospitals related to several cats and dogs, according to police.
In their investigation, police discovered that veterinarians documented a wide range of injuries and illnesses in his pets including burns, abrasions, swelling, head trauma, broken bones, lung collapse, hemorrhaging, contusions, and infections, according to an arrest affidavit in the case.
Willbanks also repeatedly declined proposed treatment for the animals during each visit to the vet clinic, arresting documents show.
Detectives arrested Willbanks on Oct. 9, 2025, at his home without incident, according to police. He was booked at the Jefferson County Jail and remains in custody with a $10,000 cash only bond.
As part of his sentence, he is prohibited from owning or having access to any animal for the duration of the six-year sentence.
The arrest affidavit also states that in September 2024, Willbanks was involved in a fatal collision in which he struck and killed another driver following a road rage incident. Willbanks left the scene and later came forward as the hit and run driver.
The First Judicial District Attorney’s Office was unable to file charges at that time due to insufficient evidence; however, through the current investigation, detectives obtained new evidence related to the original hit and run case, according to the affidavit. That investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with further information or evidence in these cases is encouraged to contact the Arvada Police Department at (303) 980-7171.
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