Bridget LaClaire, 49, of Route 365, was sentenced Tuesday in Verona Town Court to jail time after she previously pleaded guilty to two counts of animal cruelty involving a dog named Sapphire, prosecutors said. She was also ordered to pay $3,300 in restitution to cover the costs for boarding and veterinary bills.
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| This is a photo of Sapphire, one of two dogs at the center of an animal abuse case in Verona. |
When Oneida County sheriff’s deputies freed the dog in August, the deep wound around Sapphire’s neck was infected and still leaves a scar today, Assistant District Attorney Steven Feiner said. The dog also weighed less than 20 pounds, apparently from being chained outside without food or water, he said.
While the county probation department had recommended LaClaire receive a conditional discharge and no jail time, prosecutors believe the probation department would have felt differently if they had seen what authorities saw.
“The biggest message the public should take away from this is that you’re responsible for your animals, and there are consequences for their treatment,” Feiner said. “I think under these circumstances, the punishment was definitely warranted.”
Sapphire has a new owner, Kim Strong, and LaClaire also forfeited her other two dogs as part of her plea agreement, Feiner said.
(Utica Observer Dispatch - Jan 10, 2013)
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