Ionel Jura, 56, was found guilty of nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and one count of allowing an animal to roam at-large. Two animal cruelty charges were dismissed.
The two-day trial started on Wednesday and ended about 5 p.m. Monday. There was no court on Thursday or Friday because of the holiday weekend. The jury of five women and three men reached a verdict after about 90 minutes of deliberation.
Stow Municipal Court Judge Lisa Coates then sentenced Jura to five years of probation, 150 hours of community service with the Humane Society of Greater Akron, and to take an animal-care class. He will not be allowed to own farm animals for five years.
Peninsula police received a tip June 14 that a calf was wandering on the side of Akron Cleveland Road near Jura's Boston Car Service. Police found the calf and kept it from wandering into the busy road, police reports say.
The officers knew the calf belonged to Jura because of 27 previous calls over two years involving roaming animals at Jura's business and a 2014 incident when one of Jura's goats was struck by a car, according to police reports.
Jura previously said he believes someone tampered with the calf's chain.
Officers also said there were signs of neglect. Investigators noted the calf needed veterinary care because it had been castrated with rubber bands, according to court records.
The Humane Society launched an investigation. A vet found the calf needed care and the goats were malnourished. Investigators also found that Jura never provided proper food, water or shelter for the goats.
Humane agents seized the animals June 15. There was no water, food or shelter on a particularly muggy day, investigators said in court records.
(cleveland.com - Nov 30, 2015)
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