Man charged with strangulation, animal cruelty

OHIO --- Lebanon police have accused a rural Thorntown man of strangling a woman, then throwing her into a wall so forcibly she suffered bruises and “substantial pain.”

In a separate case, Chasteven S. Crosby, 40, is charged with cruelty to an animal, for allegedly neglecting several animals, including a dog that a judge ordered into the custody of the Humane Society for Boone County.

It is not known if the cases are related.

Crosby allegedly injured the woman at a Lebanon home on Oct. 1, Lebanon Police Department Sgt. Aaron Altier said in court documents. The victim was interviewed at an area emergency room on Oct. 5, Altier said. The victim told him she did not seek treatment until the bruising and pain “became overwhelming,” Altier said.

He said the victim had a small cut on the back of her neck and bruises in several locations.

Crosby is charged with Level Six felony strangulation and Level Six felony battery with moderate bodily injury, and misdemeanor domestic battery. The felonies carry a sentence of one to 2-1/2 years in prison; the misdemeanor sentence is six months to one year in prison.

Boone County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Ron Mahoy said in court documents he responded to a complaint from a man who alleged Crosby was neglecting animals.

One dog, a Rottweiler named Bosco, was emaciated and so malnourished its ears and gums were discolored, Mahoy said; the dog was in the custody of its former owner, who had given it to Crosby because of a ban on pets where the former owner lived. The dog was treated by a veterinarian.

When he inspected Crosby’s home on Sept. 26, Mahoy said he found another dog that was underweight and infected with fleas. That dog, named Isis, also was turned over to the Humane Society for Boone County. No sign was seen of a kitten that was also reportedly at the home.

The home was “in very poor condition,” Mahoy said.

The Humane Society successfully petitioned Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Edens to have Isis placed in its care until further notice.

Crosby faces a Feb. 9 trial in Boone Superior Court 1 on the battery charges, and a Feb. 4 trial in Circuit Court on the Class A misdemeanor animal cruelty charge.

(Lebanon Reporter - Oct 18, 2014)