OHIO -- An Apple Creek man has pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty for beating his dog in the roadway on May 14.
Jacob C. Hershberger, 37, of 6976 Zuercher Road, was seen striking his dog with a lead rope on Zuercher Road, north of U.S. Route 250, at 8:45 a.m., according to the Wooster Post of the State Highway Patrol.
Trooper Dan Laubacher said he was driving northbound on Zuercher Road when he saw a horse-drawn vehicle stopped in the northbound lane.
Hershberger was behind the horse-drawn vehicle holding a dog down with one arm while using a lead rope to strike it with the other arm, Laubacher said.
He and Sgt. Ty Richmond approached Hershberger, who said he was trying to teach the dog a lesson, Laubacher said. When they approached, Hershberger released the dog, which ran back onto Hershberger's property.
"He stated he was upset with the dog and the fact it keeps walking away from his house into the neighbor's yard," Laubacher said.
The incident may be the first time the Wooster Post has handled an animal cruelty case, said Lt. Chad Enderby, Post commander. The patrol has jurisdiction over the incident because it happened on a roadway.
"It's the first time I've seen it, where someone was actually abusing an animal on a roadway where we have jurisdiction," Enderby said. "It's kind of an unusual incident for the Highway Patrol to handle."
The case is scheduled for a July 1 bench trial in Wayne County Municipal Court.
(The Daily Record - May 28, 2008)
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