Missouri: April Foster, 29, charged for slapping police horse at Kansas City riot

MISSOURI -- A woman in the midst of the protests outside the rally for presidential candidate Donald Trump on March 12 was arrested on Friday for abuse of a police service animal.

According to a police report, an officer mounted on horseback was involved in police crowd control outside the Midland Theatre when protesters began moving into the street and blocking traffic, approaching officers on foot. After police verbally instructed the protesters back onto the sidewalk, the crowd continued moving forward and mounted officers moved into position to block the crowd.

Police said that's when the suspect, April J. Foster, 29, approached an officer and his horse, Dan, and began screaming in the horse's face in an attempt to scare him. When that did not work, Foster reportedly slapped the horse in the face with an open hand.

After striking the horse, Foster fled toward the back of the crowd, where police were unable to apprehend her at the time.

The Kansas City Star reported that a photographer witnessed an incident of a woman slapping a police horse.

Police later received a tip via the TIPS hotline that led them to locating the suspect.

Foster was charged with abuse of a police service animal. She was released after posting $500 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on May 4.

PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch released a statement on the incident.

"All animals feel pain, stress and fear just like we do, and they deserve our respect and protection. Horses are highly sensitive prey animals, and this poor horse was without a doubt already under a tremendous amount of stress as a result of the chaos, the crowds, the deafening noise of the angry protesters, and more. PETA commends the person who called the tip line so that this woman’s apparent cruelty to this horse does not go unpunished."

Police said there were four other arrests made in relation to the Trump protests, and although the situation became tense and pepper spray was used on the crowd, the protests were mostly free of large scale violence.

(Fox4KC - March 19, 2016)

Jason Juranek Pleads Not Guilty to Beating His Dog to Death

NEBRASKA -- A Hastings man accused of animal cruelty has plead not guilty. Jason Juranek was arraigned in Adams County District Court Tuesday.

Juranek is charged with one count of intentional animal cruelty. Hastings police say Juranek beat his dog to death on September 16th.

He was arrested after an autopsy revealed the dog died from wounds consistent with being hit or kicked.

(NBC NEB - Dec 15, 2015)

Timothy James Gifford charged with animal neglect after allegedly hitting, kicking dog

IOWA -- Des Moines police on Thursday arrested a man who appeared to be hitting and kicking a dog.

An officer was driving down Southwest 9th Street around 4:20 p.m. Tuesday and saw Timothy James Gifford, 32, of Fort Dodge standing between the street and the dog, according to a police report.

“It appeared the dog was huddled to the ground and it looked like the male was hitting and kicking the dog,” the officer wrote in the report.

Then Gifford picked the dog up by the neck and the officer feared he would slam it to the ground.

The officer pulled a U-turn back to the scene but never saw whether the dog had been thrown down.

As police confronted Gifford, he became aggressive and said he’d done nothing wrong, the report states. But the dog was still huddled to the ground, sitting in its own feces, “shaking uncontrollably.”

“…She flinched every time the male made a movement,” the officer noted.

Gifford said he was trying to stop the dog from running into the street.

Chief Humane Officer Sergeant James Butler decided to impound the dog so a veterinarian could check its welfare. Butler said the dog belonged to Gifford’s girlfriend, and since the veterinarian found no injuries to the dog it was released back to her.

“She assured us she would not allow him to walk the dog without her,” Butler said.

Gifford was arrested on charges of animal neglect. He was booked into the Polk County Jail but released Thursday, records show.

(Des Moines Register - April 24, 2015)

Man faces 16 years for animal cruelty

CALIFORNIA -- A Northern California man faces 16 years in prison after being convicted by a jury of torturing and killing dogs.

Sacramento County Deputy District Attorney Hilary Bagley-Franzoia said Friday that during the weeklong trial, 47-year-old Robert Lee Brian's neighbors testified that he repeatedly abused his pit bull terrier — punching, hitting and choking the dog as well as withholding food and water.

 

Bagley-Franzoia says the dog survived its injuries but has lost vision in its right eye.

 

The Sacramento Bee reports that Brian was arrested in October after a neighbor called authorities to report suspected abuse.

 

The Bee reports that an animal control officer subsequently found the remains of three dogs in Brian's backyard.

 

Brian's sentencing is scheduled for May 2.

 

(UT San Diego - Mar 28, 2014)

Pennsylvania: James Parthemer, 21, charged in hit-and-run that killed woman and her horse

PENNSYLVANIA -- Blossburg police have charged a borough man in his involvement with a hit-and-run, in which a woman and her horse were killed on April 1.

On Friday, police charged James R. Parthemer, 21, of 230 Davis Street, Blossburg, with a third-degree felony count of accidents involving death or personal injury, and summary counts of careless driving, duty to give information and render aid, and immediate notice of accident.

He was released on $20,000 bail following a hearing before Magisterial District Judge James Carlson in Mansfield Friday, May 12.

When a photographer from this paper attempted to get his photo after the hearing, Parthemer eluded those attempts and was spotted laughing as he was driven away from the court by an unidentified woman, who also was at the hearing.

Is this the same James R. Parthemer that killed a woman
and her horse, drove away and never called police?

A preliminary hearing for Parthemer has been set for Thursday, May 18 at 1 p.m. at Carlson's office.

Barbara J. Vroman, 59, Roaring Branch, was walking her horse on the southern end of Main Street between Liberty and Nevin streets when she and then the horse were struck from behind by a pickup at about 7:15 p.m., according to Blossburg police. The driver of the truck did not stop, police report.

Police were dispatched to the scene at 7:22 p.m.

Vroman was taking the horse to her and her husband's home in Roaring Branch, about 10 miles from Blossburg, according to Blossburg Police Cpl. Joshua McCurdy.

Vroman was pronounced dead an hour later at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital, Wellsboro. The horse also sustained injuries and was pronounced dead the following morning after being taken to a veterinary clinic in Troy.

The day after the crash, Blossburg police discovered a 1989 Chevrolet pickup truck with damage consistent with an accident. They also report finding several hairs matching those from the horse.

At the time, Regina Burton was identified as the owner of the truck. However, Burton told police that she did not have possession of the vehicle when the incident occurred.

Parthemer, Burton's boyfriend, was later identified as the driver of the vehicle.

According to police records, Parthemer believed that he had hit the curb and that at the time of the accident he was checking the gauges on the car and adjusting the heat.

He also claims he did not see Vroman or the horse.

If it were truly an accident? why didn't he stop? I can take a guess - he was drinking, or he didn't have a license or the vehicle didn't have insurance or he was on probation for something.

Asked why stiffer charges, such as homicide by vehicle or vehicular manslaughter were not filed, Tioga County Assistant District Attorney George Wheeler said: "We filed the charges that we believe are supported by the evidence.”

This gets them a "bad DA/judge" tag for the article. 

The statutory maximum for the felony count of accidents involving death or personal injury is up to seven years and the minimum mandatory is one year.

Update to story: 
James Parthemer, who pleaded no contest in October to a charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving death, was sentenced in the Tioga County Court of Common Pleas this week to one to three years in the state correctional system.

(Tioga Publishing - May 19, 2006)