Jennifer Kemp, 48, a teacher at Moore Traditional School, faces a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty and a felony charge of maintaining a common nuisance.
The charges could affect her job. Ben Jackey, public relations specialist with Jefferson County Public Schools, said Kemp has been put on non-instructional duty pending the outcome of her trial.
The district’s board policy allows for disciplinary action up to termination is an employee is convicted of a felony charge.
Kemp’s animal cruelty charge was filed Dec. 26 after her dog was found loose and in poor health near the Youngstown Shopping Center and picked up by Jeffersonville Animal Control on Nov. 29 and taken to the J.B. Ogle Animal Shelter.
The narrative with the citation says the dog, Athena, had fleas and fur missing on most of its hindquarters. Tom Lowe, Jeffersonville corporation attorney, said the dog had hookworms and was treated at the Allison Lane Animal Hospital and given medication, but died in the shelter Dec. 19.
Jeremy Mull, Clark County chief deputy prosecutor, said though the county is awaiting results from a necropsy on the dog, he doesn’t think its death will change the charges.
“I don’t think the fact that the animal is no longer alive will enhance the charge,” Mull said, “but we have enough evidence on that charge to obtain a conviction on that count.”
The citation’s narrative said after picking up the dog, animal control went to Kemp’s house to confirm the dog belonged to her. Kemp’s son, Andrew, who answered the door, said he’d just let the dogs out and acknowledged the dog as his.
Lowe said animal control was familiar with Kemp’s dogs.
“This is not the first time the dog had been picked up running at large; they had problems with other dogs there is my understanding,” Lowe said.
Mull said animal crimes are taken very seriously in Clark County.
“We work very hard to get justice for victims in crimes,” Mull said. “And by the same token, when animals are mistreated, we step in and aggressively try to make sure there are serious consequences for those crimes.”
Animal cruelty is a class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and fines up to $5,000.
(newsandtribune.com - Jan 4, 2013)
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