NEW YORK -- A Bath woman whose dog died after being hit with a lawnmower is calling on stronger penalties for animal cruelty.
"Her entire leg was missing. She had blood," said Liz Jackson’s son.
Last week, the family's dog Princess had to be put down after it was run over by a lawnmower. Her family still has one of Princess’ puppies. Bath Police said William Storms of Cohocton turned himself in and was charged with animal cruelty. He was mowing his mother's lawn. He tells us the dog was getting into his mother's yard and making messes.
"We've had trouble with him digging holes under the fence and I chased the dog to the fence and I didn't mean to hit it with the lawnmower, but I hit it," said Storms.
"He's saying it was an accident,” said Jackson. “I know for a fact that it wasn't, I knew that it was him all along."
The trial has yet to play out, but beyond this dispute, Jackson says there is a larger issue. She says the legal system doesn't take animal cruelty seriously enough. Storms was charged with a misdemeanor.
Jackson started an online petition calling for more severe penalties. It's been signed almost 500 times.
"I've gotten a lot of, ‘oh it's a dog or cat, get over it, it's done and he's turned himself in,’” said Jackson. “But that's not the issue. It's a family pet, it's part of your family."
Jackson says she will try to present the petition at Storms' trial. Storms says if he is convicted, he faces a fine or around a year in prison. Bath Police say Storms is due in court on September 19th.
(WETM-TV-Aug 30, 2012)
