“The reason I eventually gave a statement to the police was because I believed that if I didn’t admit to some wrongdoing, whether true or not, I would not be admitted bail and I would be going to jail,” Jamie Labbe said in a sworn affidavit.
Labbe, 33, heads to trial in Rockingham County Superior Court the week of Nov. 14 on five felony counts of animal cruelty.
She is asking a judge to throw out all statements she made to Sandown police so they cannot be used as evidence in her upcoming trial.
Police say that Labbe tortured the two dogs belonging to her boyfriend — causing one to die from its injuries — “because he pays more attention to the dogs than her,” Sandown police Cpl. John J. Sable wrote in a sworn affidavit.
On April 5, Labbe forced the dogs to ingest pipes, bolts, a cigarette lighter and metal clamps, police said.
Her boyfriend, Kurt Kohn of Sandown called police once he realized what had happened, according to police.
Defense lawyer Tom Gleason said in a court filing that his client made “repeated statements and requests” to stop speaking with police and consult with a lawyer.
Gleason suggested that police continued to press Labbe to speak about the injured dogs.
Prosecutors have yet to respond to the defense’s request to throw out Labbe’s statements.
One of the dogs named Pebbles died as a result of internal injuries while the other dog, Magic, was seriously injured, according to indictments.
Magic was forced to swallow a metal showerhead, a cigarette lighter and a four inch metal bolt, indictments say.
Labbe was indicted by a Rockingham County grand jury in June.
If convicted by a jury, Labbe could face a potential 3 ½-to-7 year prison sentence and a $4,000 fine for each of the charges.
(New Hampshire Union Leader - Sept 12, 2011)
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