No jail time for Roanoke County man, William Travis Stilton, 24, convicted of bestiality

VIRGINIA -- A Roanoke County man convicted of two felony charges of crimes against nature for engaging in sexual acts with dogs will not serve jail time.
 
William Travis Stilton, 24, who pleaded no contest to posting pictures online of himself engaging in sexual acts, will have all of his prison time suspended.

Stilton, who was sentenced in Roanoke County Circuit Court on Wednesday, will pay almost $2,000 in fines and $216.08 in restitution to pay for veterinary bills incurred when the dogs were seized from his home. All of Stilton’s two-year sentence was suspended, but he will spend three years on probation.






Assistant hired to run ‘The Ratcliffe’
Is this the same William Travis Stilton?
What are the chances that there are two
William Travis Stilton's in Roanoke??



Judge James Swanson ordered the defendant be disallowed from owning or having any unsupervised contact with any companion animals.

When Stilton pleaded no contest in front of Swanson in September, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Ashley Sweet said the Elliston man described in “great detail” and posted “numerous pictures” on online forums about his acts with the dogs.

Stilton went by screen names of Enygma84 and Enygma888 to post pictures of himself with a border collie mix and a coon hound on an online bestiality forum.

Detective Jeremy Hoffman with the Fairfax County Police Department found the posts dating back to 2011 and linked them to Stilton.

In  May, Roanoke County police seized the defendant’s computer, cellphones, disposable cameras, four dogs and veterinary bills and records, according to search warrants. Stilton was later indicted by a Roanoke County grand jury.

(Roanoke Times - Nov 19, 2015)

Iowa: Timothy Broesder, 44, Charged After Emaciated Dogs Seized from Humboldt County Property

IOWA -- The Animal Rescue League of Iowa is now caring for 10 neglected and emaciated dogs that were seized from a property in Livermore and the dogs' owner has been charged in the case.

Forty-four-year-old Timothy Broesder is facing 10 charges of animal neglect. He will make his first court appearance Thursday.

The investigation began on September 16th when the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office was called out to the 1600 mile of 110th Street in rural Livermore, on a report of dogs attacking livestock.

"While trying to find out who the owner of the dogs were they came across these dogs that were in pretty bad shape," says Humboldt County Sheriff Dean Kruger.

Deputies determined the dogs belonged to Broesder and after getting a search warrant discovered 10 emaciated dogs on the property.

The ARL was called in to assist in the case by Humboldt County law enforcement. The dogs, all coonhound mixes, are now being treated for medical issues and will be rehabilitated.

 

"We went up picked up the dogs brought them here our vet assessed them and found them to be in varying degrees of thinness and emaciation," says Tom Colvin, Executive Director of the ARL.

Colvin says while all the dogs needed care some were listed by the veterinarian staff as being in the most severe form of neglect by nourishment.

"In this day in age, I can`t give a reason for animals to be in this condition."

The Sheriff's Office says Broesder cooperated with authorities and told them he thought he was taking good care of the animals.

Tim Broesder is a LIAR. Is the bed he sleeps in covered in his own feces and urine? Does he go days without eating anything? Does he look like a walking skeleton like these dogs? He's trying to play dumb so that his attorney can say there wasn't any bad intent. They should lock him in a cage full of feces and leave him for days without food.

Colvin disagrees, "I simply don`t know what makes people allow animals that they are seeing on a routine basis allow to degrade into this situation."

The ARL is looking for donations of high-quality dog food to help the dogs. You can drop off donations at 5452 NE 22nd Street in Des Moines or make online monetary donations here. To help these specific dogs just reference, "Humboldt 10."

(WHOTV - Sept 22, 2015)

Finally! Indictments for 2 men who tortured raccoon to death in front of fairgoers

KENTUCKY -- It took nearly five months, but two people allegedly involved in the infamous "raccoon mauling event" earlier this year at the Boyle County Fair have been indicted by a Boyle County grand jury.
 
Donald Pike, 31, 340 Belcher Road, Parksville, and Brandon McQueary, 31, 4952 Parksville Road, each were charged with second-degree cruelty to animals for allegedly subjecting "an animal to mutilation, torture and torment" on May 30.

The charge is a Class A misdemeanor, carrying a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a $500 fine upon conviction.

This is the poor raccoon desperately trying to escape
 

According to Commonwealth's Attorney Richie Bottoms, Pike and McQueary were the main instigators behind the incident that took place inside the horse arena at the fairgrounds on a Friday night. A caged raccoon was released in front of several coon dogs primed for a hunt and the dogs nearly killed the animal in front of dozens of onlookers.

"I was pleased to see the indictments returned," Bottoms said. "It was a particularly atrocious situation, especially with families and children present."

An event called a "Coon Dog Treeing Contest," organized by Pike, was sanctioned by the fair board and on the fair's list of scheduled activities that night. When too few hunters showed up to compete, however, something Pike called a "coon drag" occurred, with the animal being released in the middle of the fairgrounds and then attacked by the dogs.

 

 

“When I first saw it, I thought the dogs had a toy. They had it in their mouths and were pulling in two directions,” witness Amanda Barrow told The Advocate-Messenger the next day. “It did not have eyes. There was blood all over the place. It looked seriously injured. It went under a picnic table and laid there.”

The incident caught the attention of animal lovers across the country, who called for the strictest punishment possible for the perpetrators. A joint investigation was conducted by Danville police and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Bottoms said he presented all of the evidence directly to the grand jury and allowed the panel to decide which charge was appropriate. He said he did not try to persuade them to return felony indictments against the two men for first-degree cruelty to animals.

"Obiviously, they felt it was a crime, a serious crime, and you have to respect that," Bottoms said.

Bonds were set at $2,000 each. Danville Detective Robert Ladd testified before the grand jury.

(Central KY News - Nov 28, 2014)

Earlier:

• "Hey, Charlene! Get the stroller and bring Billy Bob over so's he can learn how to have fun torturing critters!"

Mailman who saved woman, dog from pit bull attack honored in Syracuse

NEW YORK -- Richard Blasland Jr. was about an hour into his Tipperary Hill mail route one day in May when he heard a woman screaming for help.

The 37-year-old Liverpool letter carrier ran about 10 houses down the street, over a hill and discovered a woman and her dog being attacked by a pit bull. Blasland threw down his mail bag and started kicking the pit bull to get it to leave the woman and her dog alone.

"Everything had happened so fast," Blasland said. "My heart was pumping."

Blasland and the woman both screamed for the pit bulls' owner, but he was sleeping.

The woman, 26-year-old Nicole Raterman, of Whitney Point, had begun the day by going for a walk with her black and tan coonhound, Toby. When she reached the 400 block of Schuyler Street, Raterman heard barking and turned to see a pit bull charging out the window of a nearby house.

"Time kind of stopped because I couldn't believe what I was seeing," she said. "I was in shock."

The pit bull grabbed onto Toby's neck, Raterman said, and the dogs began fighting. Raterman screamed for help, tried pulling the pit bull off her dog and then tried kicking it. The dog knocked her down and bit her in the leg, she said.

Then Raterman spotted Blasland bounding over a hill toward her.

When kicking the pit bull didn't work, Blasland unleashed an entire can of Mace on the pit bull. But it didn't stop the dog. Blasland, like most letter carriers, had experienced close calls with dogs before. He became a letter carrier more than a decade ago after leaving the Army and in that time tangled with dozens of aggressive dogs.

But he had never experienced anything like this, he said.

After several minutes of struggling, the pit bull's dazed owner appeared and helped Blasland drag the dog off Toby, Raterman said. Both were bleeding.

As the owner was dragging the pit bull away, it tore free and attacked Raterman's dog again, Blasland said. Again Blasland and the pit bull's owner dragged the dog off.

"I only remember hearing Rich yell 'Take your dog and run,'" Raterman said.

Blasland guided Raterman and her dog across the street to an enclosed porch and built a barricade out of patio furniture for protection. Then Blasland called 911.

Raterman was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. She needed 19 stitches and briefly used crutches. Toby got a dozen stitches, had to have a drainage tube in his brain and wore a cone around his head. But both canine and owner have recovered. Blasland was not hurt.

Blasland was recognized today at the Franklin Square Station on West Division Street with a special hero award from the Postmaster General.

"I just did what anyone else would do. I didn't think it was a big deal."

(The Post-Standard - ‎Nov 19, 2014‎)

Man, dog recovering from Atlantic Beach pit bull attack

FLORIDA -- A man and his dog are still recovering after a vicious attack in Atlantic Beach Friday. Now we're learning that the aggressive dog's owners have been cited for having dangerous dogs before.

The victim's father says it started when his daughter-in-law was walking back to the home across Jack Russell Park with her 70-pound coonhound. She saw two pit bulls running towards her dog. She tried to get back into the house but before she could make it, one of the dogs latched onto her dog's neck.

"I didn't know where the sound was coming from. We heard screams," said Gene Kemp, the victim's father.

Kemp and other witnesses say it was a chaotic scene.

"There was blood from the animal being injured," said Mary Theis, Kemp's neighbor.

Kemp says his son wrestled the pit bull off his dog 'Tanner', but the 70 to 80 pound dog would not give up the fight.

"He managed to get his out from under Jared's arm and he clamped down on Jared's arm and bit into him," said Kemp.

The police report says Jared Kemp had to stab the dog with a kitchen knife to stop it from attacking.

Neighbor Theis saw part of the struggle from her second floor window.

"That's when I heard the dog and it was terrible. I felt so bad for Jared he tried everything, he tried to talk the dog calm it down," said Theis.

The pit bull, named Roscoe on the police report, died from its injuries.

Police say the pit bull owners have a history with dangerous dogs.

Last year those owners Suzanne Leviseur and her daughter Cecilia Babillis had three dogs deemed dangerous according to Atlantic Beach Police. Police say they did not comply with the city requirement to have proper insurance and chose to instead to euthanize their dogs. According to Court records, they've also been cited for dogs running off a leash.

Back in 2012, she was photographed taking photos
of the reporter who was standing on a public street
doing a news story about why her pit bulls kept
getting loose and attacking people/pets.



One of the three dogs looked out from an upstairs window.
Several residents of an Atlantic Beach, FL. neighborhood
went to the last city commission meeting to complain about
three pit bull dogs who have been allowed to "terrorize"
people and animals along Magnolia Street.

Three years of warnings and 20 incidents regarding
their pit bulls: Ceclia Babillis realizes that her
righteous indignation isn't going to get here anywhere

Suzanne Leviseur tries to explain why her pit bulls keep getting loose
and justifying why they keep attacking people and pets. Hmm..

"No matter how much you trust a dog, they are animals," said Melissa Robbins, who lives next door to Leviseur.

Robbins says her husband was also bitten by one of the dogs a few months ago.

"It was when our dogs got out and he grabbed one of them and then the other one was left with the dog and he tried to grab him and the dog bit him," added Robbins.

We tried to reach out to Leviseur and Babillis at their Atlantic Beach home address listed on the police report, but no one was home. First Coast News did hear from Babillis, but we are waiting for her to call back with comment.

(First Coast News - ‎Sep 11, 2014‎)

Related:

• Atlantic Beach woman charged civilly in vicious pit bull attack
• Atlantic Beach pit bull owners plead no contest
• Atlantic Beach fight over loose dogs pits neighbors vs. neighbors
• Judge feels sorry for owner who arrogantly let dogs terrorize neighborhood for years

"Hey, Charlene! Get the stroller and bring Billy Bob over so's he can learn how to have fun torturing critters!"

KENTUCKY -- Authorities said that when they found out the Coon Dog Treeing Contest wasn't sanctioned by the Fair Board, they [refused to do anything about it].

The Raccoon was severely hurt in the attack.

[After being mauled by three dogs trying to rip its limbs from its body, the dogs' owner stomped on the poor animal's head three times - in front of police who did nothing - and then threw the animal into a cage and drove off with it Please God. Please let it be dead at this point and not still suffering.]

This happened in Danville KY. There is an official "investigation" going on, but I wouldn't hold my breath for any punishment. While it was happening I overheard a cop say "I'm not P.E.T.A., what do you want me to do?"- tourettes_on_Tuesday (posted on reddit.com)

LEX18 Lexington KY News says that one witness says the raccoon survived that attack, but when one of the dog owners saw it was still alive, he stomped on the raccoon's head.



"Some hick from the woods just released this little guy
at the county fair and let his three dogs loose so they
 could nearly rip it apart in front of dozens of young kids".
 (i.imgur.com, submitted by Shortofcoleandklay)

Officials have identified three individuals who own the dogs that were attacking the raccoon.

They are still trying to figure out if criminal charges will be filed.

[If?! If charges will be filed?! God.]

(WTVQ - June 1, 2014)

From Reddit.com:

Tonight, around 9 pm at the fairgrounds, a group of men in a pickup truck rolled into the horse grounds and brought out three dogs and a caged raccoon.

The head man of the “event” got out of the truck proclaiming “Gather around for Live Action!” repeatedly. Most of the slowly growing crowd were unaware as to what was about to happen next.

 

That same man claiming the “Live Action” looked to a group of kids and asked “You want us to let the coon go?”.

Of course all the kids watching were screaming NO NO NO after seeing the three dogs surround the cage, barking loudly and drawing more attention. The man didn't seem to care about what the kids thought so what he and his group of guys did was have a competition (his words) of sorts to see which dog could chase the raccoon down and kill it first. They set the cage a good 15-20 yards from the three dogs and opened the cage.

The raccoon hopelessly scrambling away from the dogs was promptly chased down by all three dogs and nearly ripped apart in front of DOZENS of kids and parents. All of this is going on while kids are screaming and parents are yelling for the men to put the dogs away and stop this thing I would compare to a public execution.

The raccoon did manage to get away from the dogs and find its way towards me in hopes of putting something between it and certain death. However the man leading this horrific scene was stating to the approaching cops that he has to kill the raccoon, because “that's what the dogs are for”.

And while he is talking to the cops, the bloody and mangled raccoon is making its way into the crowd of kids.

I don't know what the cops said to the man but the next thing I see is him walking towards the raccoon, he decides to stomp on its head THREE times in front of the on looking crowd.

This doesn't kill the raccoon, cops tell him he cannot kill it there in front of all those people so the man puts the raccoon back in the cage and after some talking to the police is told to go somewhere else.

I talked the police that were there, and they told me that whatever he was doing was an actual scheduled event for the day but he was doing it in the wrong place.

I have video of a 26 second portion of the ”hunt” and you can hear kids protesting it and the raccoon squealing in pain. - Shortofcoleandklay, reddit.com

Police: Dog killed after officer felt threatened

TENNESSEE -- A Maryville police officer shot and killed a dog in self-defense while responding to a possible prowler early Sunday morning, according to a Maryville Police Department report.

Two Maryville police officers responded to a residence on Wheatmoor Drive in reference to the prowler at about 6:32 a.m. The homeowner was contacted, and said she had heard noises on her deck.

After checking the area with no results, one of the officers started to leave, but saw three dogs running up the front porch of the residence.

The officer started to walk to the back of the residence when all three dogs, identified as two Redbone Coonhounds and an English bulldog, ran toward him growling.

The officer started to back up against the residence when the Redbones were coming toward him in an aggressive nature. The Redbones were growling at him and one of them started to attack him.

The officer then pulled his service weapon and fired one shot, striking the attacking Redbone, according to the report.

The dogs ran after the shot was fired, and an animal control officer was notified and responded to the scene. The slain dog’s owner, whose identity was not immediately available, was found and told of the incident.

The Redbone that was shot was found dead inside a residence nearby under construction on Homestead Court. The builder was contacted and responded.

The Maryville Fire Department also responded to the scene. The incident is under investigation.

(The Daily Times - Nov 21, 2013)

Emaciated Dog Found RoamingThe Streets of Paulding, Ohio

OHIO -- Police are investigating a case of animal abuse.

An emaciated coon dog was found roaming the streets of Paulding Tuesday. It was taken to the city pound, by a concerned citizen.

 

 

It was later learned the dog came from a property where a second emaciated dog, a lab mix, was discovered.

At this time, police are continuing their investigation. Both animals are being taken care of at the animal clinic of Paulding.

If you would like to donate to help pay for medical expenses you can call the Animal Clinic of Paulding at 419-399-2871.

(incnow.tv - April 3, 2013)

County residents face charges in death of dog

WEST VIRGINIA -- One person has been charged and police have obtained a warrant for another in the death of Tuck, a redtick coonhound.

The dog was chained to its house over about a month, and “maliciously” not fed, Harrison Sheriff’s Lt. Greg Scolapio has alleged.

Charged with felony animal cruelty in Tuck’s death is Christina Marie Lane (Marple), 32, of Clarksburg. She was released on $5,000 bond after an initial appearance before Harrison Magistrate Warren “Gizzy” Davis.

Scolapio also obtained an warrant alleging felony animal cruelty against a male, but he had yet to be arrested by Monday afternoon.

Wrongdoing occurred from Jan. 11 through Feb. 11, the lawman alleged.

Separately, David William Bunnell, 26, of Clarksburg, was charged by Scolapio with failing to register Tuck and failing to vaccinate the dog against rabies.

Bunnell was released on $1,000 bond after an initial appearance before Davis.

(Exponent Telegram - Feb 25, 2013)

10/29/12: Multiple counts of animal cruelty charged

LOUISIANA -- A Union Parish man has been charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty after complaints were received by the Sheriff's Department.

Investigators from the Union Parish Sheriff's Office ad gone to 611 E. Jackson St. Farmerville, La., after receiving complaints regarding several dogs that were being starved and neglected.

 

During the course of the investigation detectives spoke with Tommy Hull, B/M 05/15/1970, 611 E. Jackson St. Farmerville, La., 71241, who was the owner of the dogs. During the course of the interview Hull admitted to neglecting the animals.

Hull stated that he owned six dogs four of which were female and two male. Hull stated that he bred the dogs to sell for hog hunting and three of the female dogs had recently had litters. In the interview Hull told investigators that most of the puppies have died.

Hull agreed to voluntarily surrender all the animals located at 611. E Jackson, Farmerville, La., to the Union Parish Sheriff's Office. The Union Parish Humane Society was contacted as well as a local veterinarian.

Investigators then met with Hull and the veterinarian at 611 E. Jackson. There they located one black and tan female hound, one pit bull female mix, one red bone hound female, one white pit bull female, one black and white male, and one white male pit bull in various stages of starvation.

The animals were taken to the veterinarian's office for treatment of various illnesses related to their condition.

Hull was charged with multiple counts of cruelty to animals.

(KNOE - Oct 29, 2012)

Dog that attacked young girl set to be euthanized

TENNESSEE -- The Humane Society in Union County has decided to euthanize a dog that attacked a young girl last week.

The family said they wanted the Humane Society to euthanize the dog named Jake because they worried the Union County Humane Society would re-adopt him. Now, the society says it will euthanize Jake on Tuesday.

The society's director says health officials asked to quarantine the dog for 10 days for rabies testing. Those 10 days are up on Tuesday.

The family says they're relieved by the news.

(WBIR - Sept 29, 2012)

Earlier:

• Mom: Shelter won't euthanize family dog after attack

California: Firefighters excavate Graton pipe to rescue trapped dog

CALIFORNIA -- Veronica's owners aren't sure how long she spent wedged in the 18-inch culvert that runs under their rural Graton road, nor what she endured as the hours passed and help did not arrive.

As day turned to night turned to day again, the 4-year-old hound must have heard them call her name, if not Diane Albracht's quiet nighttime sobs while she wondered what had become of her beloved dog.

By Wednesday morning, a day after Veronica escaped through an open gate, Albrecht and her husband, David, were becoming increasingly worried by the distant, occasional barking that echoed through their valley.

“I said, ‘David, she's fading. She's fading,'” Diane Albracht recalled.

But that evening, Veronica and her owners would be reunited after the Albrechts pinpointed her underground location and Graton firefighters answered their call for help, digging into the rocky hillside to free the exhausted hound.

“I don't think she would have survived another night,” Albracht said Thursday, as Veronica lay nearby, still recovering from her ordeal.

Veronica, a rescued walker hound who has lived with the Albrachts for three years, gets long walks every day but otherwise lives inside the fencing on the Albrachts' three-acre property off Bone Road.

Diane Albracht let her out into the yard around 7 a.m. Tuesday but, busy preparing for a family reunion at the house this weekend, didn't think about her again until her granddaughter, Chloe, arrived for her usual 9:30 a.m. playtime.

It was then Albracht discovered the open gate and began searching the wooded neighborhood off Green Valley Road.

Albracht heard barking Tuesday afternoon from her home in a bowl-shaped valley that she thought might be Veronica, but still isn't sure.

But she could find no sign of her dog after driving the neighborhood and then hiking through the area with a friend and alerting neighbors that the dog was missing.

At some point Wednesday, Albracht decided Veronica must be trapped somewhere — perhaps confined in a barn or shed, behind a fence or maybe even tied up.

But contours of the valley allowed the periodic barks to bounce around, making it almost impossible to determine from which direction they were coming, she said.

Finally, as she listened to the barking from her driveway Wednesday afternoon, Albracht traced the sound to the southwest, and she and her husband began combing the creek behind their house.

David Albracht, wading through thigh-high water and then crawling through patches of poison oak, finally heard a whimper from above and, looking up, saw the outlet of a heavy plastic culvert emerging from a rocky cliff.

He climbed up, looked inside and saw Veronica's eyes gleaming back at him in the dark.

Perhaps chasing a squirrel or another critter into the culvert from the other end, the 60-plus-pound hound had managed to scoot about 40 feet along the corrugated culvert before getting pinned at a turn in the pipe, where both the top and bottom were partially collapsed.

Graton firefighters were called to help get her out. They cut away about 15 feet of exposed culvert, but still had to move about five feet of earth and boulders weighing several hundred pounds each to get to her, Deputy Chief Bill Bullard said.

Talking soothingly and using handtools they hoped would neither harm nor alarm the dog, they carefully cut away bits of plastic from the top of the pipe until Veronica's head emerged and, ultimately, her whole body.

“She was perfectly quiet,” Bullard said. “She didn't make a sound, the whole time we worked around her.”

Veronica walked the half-mile or so back home but had moved very little by Thursday and hadn't eaten much either, Diane Albracht said.

She was shivering some, but took a biscuit here and there and mostly chose to lie out in the sun, on a cushy bed.

Albracht, who caught Veronica's tail wagging a time or two, is giving her time to rest up after such a trying experience.

“I'm just so happy to have her back,” she said.

(Press Democrat - September 27, 2012)

Mom: Shelter won't euthanize family dog after attack

TENNESSEE -- A Union County mom and dad want their family dog euthanized after an attack  They said the Union County Humane Society will not fulfill their request.

Ali and Kelley Aljumaily's 4-year-old daughter, Briseis, was attacked by the family's coon hound Saturday morning.  Briseis was sitting cross-legged on the family's back porch with blood in her lap when Kelley rushed toward the commotion.  The parents said their daughter did not cause the attack.

The child received more than 200 staples and stitches along with a five-night hospital stay.

"Jake", the coon hound, is a rescue dog the family took in several months ago.  The Aljumaily's said they had Jake vaccinated and his temperament checked.  Until Saturday's attack, the dog never showed any signs of aggression.

The Union County Humane Society is holding Jake.  A manager at the facility said the dog's future has not been determined.  The humane society wants to look into Jake's case further.  The manager added, the dog has seemed calm while at their facility.  The non-profit said the family could surrender Jake to the Humane Society.  However, the family thinks the society will re-adopt Jake to a family without kids.

"It's my dog and I want the dog put down.  I don't want another kid to have to go through what I witnessed, and my daughter, I thought she was going to die," Kelley Aljumaily said.

Union County does not have an animal control department.  Both sides agree such a department would have helped determine a solution in this matter.

Meanwhile, the Aljumaily family is worried about insurance coverage and are also focused on Briseis' condition.  Doctors tell the family it could take months to fully correct the damage.

If you're interested in offering support or kind words for Briseis' recovery, you may email Kelley Aljumaily: asuperdadandmom@aol.com .

(WBIR - Sept 27, 2012)

Ariton man, Joey Senn, pleads guilty in 21-count animal cruelty case

ALABAMA -- An Ariton man recently pleaded guilty to nearly two dozen animal cruelty charges, involving the neglect of multiple dogs, including six that died.

Dale County Sheriff’s Chief Investigator Harvey Mathis said Joey Senn, 39, pleaded guilty to 21 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.

Deputies arrested Senn on Oct. 26, about six days after investigators seized the dogs from his home on Dale County Road 122 in Ariton. Mathis said six of the dogs died because of their health condition.

The dogs seized by deputies varied in breed, Mathis said. They included some pit bulls, but most were hunting dogs.

Mathis said after Senn pleaded guilty, Dale County District Court Judge Stan Garner sentenced him to a 12-month suspended jail term for each charge, which was ordered to run concurrently with each other.

But Mathis said Garner also ordered Senn to pay $1,846 in restitution for the boarding and veterinarian bills involved in the case. Senn was also ordered to pay a $250 fine and $233 in court costs.

Mathis said as part of the sentence ordered by the court, upon payment of the restitution Senn will get six of the dogs back. But as a condition of him getting the dogs back, Mathis said investigators will be allowed to periodically check on their welfare.

 

“If we find those dogs are being mistreated we have the right to seize them again,” Mathis said. “We take animal cruelty cases very serious. We will investigate them, and the Dale County District Attorney’s Office will prosecute them.”

When the dogs were seized, investigators said bones were visible under the skin on some of the dogs as they ran around the property. Water for the dogs appeared darkened with dirt and leaves, and some empty bags of dog food were found nearby.

Mathis said eight of the dogs originally seized remain held at the Ozark Animal Shelter, and are up for adoption. He also said one of the dogs was returned to another area resident, who was its original owner.

Mathis called the seizure the largest by the department in at least four years.

Attorney Terry Bullard, who represented Senn in court, said his client had picked up some of the dogs at a garbage dump site, and had been trying to nurse them back to health.

“He had another dog that he’d lost hunting that was in bad shape too,” Bullard said. “The rest of the dogs were alive. They were skinny, but were working dogs. He hunted with them.”

Bullard said there wasn’t anything wrong with some of the dogs.

“I wouldn’t have represented him if I thought he’d have mistreated the dogs,” Bullard said. “This is the first time I’ve ever known for them to let them have any of the dogs back.”
(Dothan Eagle - Nov 17, 2011)

Chihuahua killing Coonhound lives to kill again

MICHIGAN -- Brenda Lamb and Jon Archambault want their little dog back, but that’s not going to happen.

One month ago, a neighbor’s bluetick coonhound escaped its fenced yard, came onto their property and killed their 10-pound Chihuahua named Chica as she sat in her basket, attached to a leash. The attack happened on the couple’s backyard deck and in front of the whole family, including the children.

“Chica didn’t die during the attack. She died a few minutes later. She bled out. It was horrible,” Lamb said, tears welling. “This has been traumatic.”

The family gathered around the fatally injured animal as she faded away, she said.

This incident happened just before 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 10, on Boyne City’s Maple Street.

In the aftermath, police summoned the hound’s owner to a show cause hearing set for last week to prove why the animal shouldn’t be euthanized. But that hearing never happened because the Charlevoix County Prosecutor’s office settled the case out of court.

The hound’s owner is Jim Raber, Charlevoix County’s friend of the court, who declined to comment.

Raber’s attorney, Charlevoix-based Chris Turkelson, could not be reached for comments.

“Mr. Raber was issued a citation for dog running at large,” said Jeff Gettel, Boyne City assistant police chief.

Raber must still pay the $100 fine for his violation of Boyne City’s leash law, but his dog is safe from court-ordered euthanization.

The show cause hearing never happened because Raber, Turkelson and Charlevoix County chief assistant prosecutor Shaynee Fanara agreed to a settlement that requires Raber to find a new home for Sonny, the hound, and advise the new owner of this incident. The dog can’t live within Boyne City city limits and is not permitted to return to Raber’s home for visits.

The case will be re-opened if Sonny is found inside city limits after Sept. 30, court records show.

Judge Richard May, of Charlevoix County’s 90th District Court, dismissed the case but attached those stipulations.

Lamb and Archambault said they are not satisfied with that outcome and believe Sonny should be euthanized to prevent additional attacks on other dogs or people.

According to Lamb and Archambault, they were told by Fanara that the deal was the “best possible” outcome. It’s still not good enough, they agreed.

“We don’t want the problem in our neighborhood to become a problem in the next neighborhood,” Lamb said.

“It seems that making our problem somebody else’s problem is the solution here. In no way is that OK with us,” Archambault said.

Fanara said she tried to explain to Lamb and Archambault that prosecutors must show a pattern of dangerous behavior by a dog before a judge can order the animal to be destroyed. The attack on Chica is the hound’s first such incident.

“It doesn’t show a pattern,” Fanara said. “If there was a history with this dog of any kind, we’d have a better chance in court.”

However, any additional violent incidents by Sonny will constitute a pattern, she said.

Fanara also said she did not cut Raber a legal break because he’s a fellow county employee. He wanted to keep Sonny at his Boyne City home, but Fanara said she refused to agree to that.

This outcome at least removes the dog from Lamb and Archambault’s neighborhood, Fanara said.

Sonny’s new home is at an area farm, she said.

[NOTE: I don't understand this policy of sending these aggressive animals 'outside the city/county/state' and put the problem onto someone else. Yeah, I would be delighted to find out my next door neighbor, who shares a fenceline with me, has brought in a dangerous dog from, say, Georgia, and stuck it in their backyard. They're not required to tell anyone about its history -- that it possibly had attacked a child, killed someone's pet, etc. And we would be sitting ducks for an attack.]

Both Lamb and Archambault are committed to get to the bottom of the state’s laws on dog attacks — or the requirement to show a pattern of dangerous dog behavior before a judge can order euthanization — and change it, if possible. They will start with their state lawmakers, they said.

“We plan to do everything in our power to instigate change to this law,” Archambault said.

Gettel said the best way to avoid these animal confrontations is to “keep your animals confined to your own property.”

(Petoskey News - Sept 9, 2011)

New York: Daniel Bennett found guilty of animal cruelty

NEW YORK -- On December 8, 2010, Daniel K. Bennett plead guilty to Section 353 of the Agriculture and Markets Law, Animal Cruelty, a Class A Misdemeanor.

The charge was based upon the defendant’s neglecting an adult male coonhound by not providing it with food and water for weeks, which resulted in bony prominences  associated with the ribs and pelvic bones being visible, and considerable muscle wasting having occurred.  The dog also had an open, bloody, and festering wound, with dangling flesh, on one of his legs which almost went down to the bone and which was many inches in size.  The defendant ignored this wound and did not provide the dog with any medical treatment.

The defendant entered his plea of guilty without a plea bargain guarantee from the prosecution, inasmuch as he rejected the Chief Assistant District Attorney, Matthew Hayden’s offer which included jail, probation, and a prohibition that the defendant not possess or own any further companion animals.  The defendant was assured by the court that if he pled guilty, he would received a no-jail promise, which meant he would be subject to either a Conditional Discharge or Probation at sentencing.  The matter was adjourned for the Schuyler County Probation Department to generate a pre-sentence investigation, and the defendant was ordered to return to court on February 9, 2011.

On February 9, 2011, the People argued that the defendant should be placed on probation, due to his substantial history of run-ins with the law, and because of the condition of the coonhound.  The defendant argued that he was not responsible for the dog, inasmuch as the dog was located at property owned by his father, and that he should receive a sentence of only a Conditional Discharge.

The court fined the defendant $750.00 and assessed $205.00 in surcharges, and gave him a Conditional Discharge.  A restitution hearing has been set for the purpose of determining how much the defendant must pay The Humane Society for the cost of the dog’s medical treatment and boarding fees totaling approximately $2,700.

(Humane Society of Schuyler County - December 8, 2010)

Update to story:
The Addison woman convicted of masterminding a plot to have her baby's father killed will spend 25 years to life in state prison.

Alice Trappler, 40, was found guilty of two counts of second degree murder in May for assisting with the death of Daniel Bennett. She was also found guilty of first and second degree burglary and conspiracy to commit murder.