Ohio: Akesha Bowman sentenced for animal cruelty; complains to judge that neighbors are being mean to her

OHIO -- Akesha Bowman told a municipal court judge she has been treated like a pariah since she was accused of mistreating a dog that was given to her.

Bowman, 37, told Judge Robert Milich on Wednesday as she was being sentenced after being convicted of animal-cruelty charges that she has lost her job and a promotion she worked hard for, and neighbors are mean to her.

She received five years’ probation and at least 160 hours of community service after pleading no contest and being found guilty April 28 by Judge Milich, who also ordered that she not be allowed to own any animals while she is on probation unless she gets approval from the court.

Her probation also allows humane agents to search her home to make sure she has no animals. The judge said if she violates her probation, a six-month sentence in the Mahoning County jail he stayed will be imposed.

Bowman was sentenced after humane agents seized her dog, Hershey, not yet 2, in early April. The dog was in a cage and severely neglected, humane agents said.

Bowman told the judge she was working 12-hour days and it was hard to take care of the dog. She said she assigned her 13-year-old son to look after the pet, but that son has been hospitalized several times with Type 1 diabetes and another son, 16, has been in the juvenile justice center since January.

Judge Milich, however, said she abdicated her responsibility by leaving her son to care for the dog.

“If you had taken full responsibility, you wouldn’t be here,” he said.

Jeff Holland, a special prosecutor assigned to the case by the Humane Society, asked the judge for a long term of probation as well as a prohibition banning Bowman from owning any more animals. He said he would not oppose some sort of jail time but he did not press it.

Terry Grenga, Bowman’s lawyer, asked the judge for probation. She said Bowman has no one else to care for her young son, and she needs to find a job. Bowman has learned her lesson, Grenga said.

Bowman apologized to a group of animal-rights activists who were in court. The activists have picketed Youngstown City Hall several times in recent weeks whenever an animal-cruelty case is being heard in municipal court.

“I’m not a bad person, even though this makes me look that way,” Bowman told them.

Jason Cooke, a former president of Animal Charity who has organized the pickets, said he was happy with the sentence but also disappointed because Bowman at first said her son was responsible for taking care of the dog.

“I find that to be unacceptable,” Cooke said. “It contradicts her claims of full responsibility.”

Cooke said he and his group will be back when there are other animal-cruelty cases set for court.

(Vindy.com - June 18, 2015)