Joseph Ray Gray, 25, pleaded guilty on July 25 to a reduced animal cruelty charge.
Why would prosecutors allow this? Why not insist he plead guilty to AGGRAVATED ANIMAL CRUELTY???
Madison County Municipal Judge Eric M. Schooley ordered Gray to serve 90 days in jail, but suspended 84 days. He will be allowed to serve the remaining six days on weekends, beginning Sept. 23.
Six days in jail for what he did? And he gets to go sign in for the jail on Saturday morning and leave Monday morning so he's not burdened. Then he just does that two more weekends - his choice so as not to interrupt hunting season or his vacation plans. How nice. Good job Ohio - not.
Gray was also ordered to pay $547 in fines and court costs by Oct. 25. He must pay $1,300 in restitution to MedVet in Hilliard and another $1,177 to the Madison County Humane Society by Dec. 15, defense attorney Mike Murray said.
Gray will serve a year of reporting probation and is forbidden from owning animals [during his probationary period of just one year]. The .22 rifle used to shoot the dog was returned to Gray’s mother, Mikki Gray, Murray added.
ORIGINAL STORY
A London man was arraigned in court Wednesday morning for allegedly shooting his dog in the mouth.
Joseph R. Gray, 25, of London, is charged with one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty. He pleaded not guilty in Madison County Municipal Court.
On the evening of Thursday, May 19, Precious Klegman of London said she answered a call from her crying sister about a dog she found along the side of Arbuckle Road near its intersection with State Route 38. Her sister thought the animal, a pit bull mix, had been in a dog fight, Klegman recalled. She thought it had been hit by a car.
The women took the dog, named Chance, to MedVet in Hilliard, where they learned the less-than-one-year-old dog had been shot.
Klegman posted information about the animal on social media. Online comments pointed to Gray, she said. She was told the dog was shot for allegedly harming a child.
Another area woman, Rachel Deutscher, said she drove to the vet around midnight to help pay for the dog’s treatment after watching his story unfold on Facebook. The women launched a GoFundMe account for Chance’s medical bills, which hit $1,700 the first night, before surgery, Klegman said.
The GoFundMe raised about $700 in a week and a half. It was closed when the medical expenses were wrapped into the investigation, Klegman said.
The women posted plans to return donors’ money, but donors requested that the funds simply be donated to the Humane Society of Madison County instead, she said. They delivered a portion of the donated funds Wednesday evening.
Chance is temporarily living at the humane society, county dog warden Deputy Chris Floyd said.
“Every day I see him at the shelter,” Floyd said. “He’s a sweet little puppy.”
Floyd said this is the first animal cruelty case that he has seen since he took the position in November.
Deutscher hopes to adopt him when the case is closed. The dog continues to recover from the injuries.
“It’s funny that his name is Chance because he has another chance at life,” Klegman said.
Gray faces $1,000 in fines and 180 days in jail if convicted. He could also be ordered to pay all of the dog’s medical bills.
Madison County Assistant Prosecutor Kirsten Gross attended Gray’s arraignment hearing in order to weigh in on sentencing in case he pleaded guilty, she told the judge.
Gray posted a $500 bond. He is due back in court June 20.
Name: Joseph Ray Gray
Arrest Age: 25
Race: White
Gender: Male
Birthdate: 04/02/1991
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 195 lbs
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Date of mugshot: 09/30/2016
Arresting Agency: TRI-COUNTY REGIONAL JAIL
Arrest Location: TCRJ, MECHANICSBURG, Champaign, OH
Charge:
- CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. NOTES: SENTENCED NO BOND
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