Ramos-Perez was arrested in January after nine West Salem cats died from antifreeze poisoning. The deaths occurred in the area of Sixth Street and Rosemont Avenue NW.
He was charged with nine counts of felony aggravated animal abuse in the first degree and nine counts of misdemeanor, first-degree animal abuse. He was convicted on misdemeanor charges Oct. 2 in Polk County Circuit Court.
At the time of the incident, Ramos-Perez was on pre-trial release as he faced charges of failure to perform the duties of a driver to an injured person and initiating a false report in Marion County. He has since been convicted of those charges.
Jake Kamins, animal abuse deputy district attorney, said Ramos-Perez was aware of the risk of his actions. Ramos-Perez put antifreeze on a piece of meat in a small open container in his driveway. He told police he moved it to a garbage can that didn't have a lid after several hours. At trial, he testified that he later moved it to a garbage can that had a lid after he saw cats in the first one, Kamins said.
Mark Geiger, defense lawyer, told the court what Ramos-Perez did wasn't malicious and occurred because of a lack of understanding.
Once Ramos-Perez realized antifreeze could kill cats, he put it in a garbage can. When he realized they could still access it, he put it in a different garbage can, but they still had access, Geiger said.
"He has a very simple, child-like quality about him (which) is endearing, but probably led to this case," Geiger said.
Geiger asked the judge to allow Ramos-Perez to serve his jail time on the weekends so he could continue to provide for his family. Ramos-Perez's employer told the judge he had a lead, full-time position at a manufacturer, was committed to his career and family and would be difficult to replace.
Speaking through a translator, Ramos-Perez said, "I want to apologize for what happened. It was not my intention. If I had known it would hurt the animals, I would not have done it."
Judge Sally Avea, after learning he owned 10 rabbits, birds and a dog, asked how he would feel if he woke up to find his dog dead on his front porch.
"I would feel awful," Ramos-Perez replied. He said he understood how the pet owners in the court felt about their cats.
Kamins asked the judge to give Ramos-Perez three years in custody and five years of probation.
Avera said that recommendation would be more severe than if Ramos-Perez had accidentally run someone over with his car and killed him.
Avera sentenced Ramos-Perez to 18 days in jail to be served on weekends and 18 months probation with the possibility of more jail time if he violates the terms of his supervision.
 |
| One of Ramos-Perez's victims: a cat which was poisoned and suffered horribly before dying |
On top of the standard conditions of probation, Ramos-Perez must complete 216 hours of community service, must not possess or care for any kind of animal, must not possess antifreeze, must find new homes for his pets within 72 hours and must obtain a mental health evaluation.
If Ramos-Perez violates his probation, a 150-day jail sentence will automatically kick in. For five charges, Avera didn't impose a sentence so that if he violated his probation the judge hearing that case could impose a jail sentence of up to a year.
That means if he violates probation, he could serve a maximum of five years and 150 days in jail.
He also was ordered to pay $1,800 in fines.
"Sir, this will enable you to remain in your employment but it will hold over you a severe sentence if you violate your probation," Avera told him. "I consider your conduct to be serious."
(Statesman Journal - Oct 13, 2015)
No comments:
Post a Comment