(February 2018) In Florida, you can slowly starve a dog to death and Volusia County Judge Bryan Feigenbaum will only make you spend about a month in the county jail

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA -- An Edgewater woman was sentenced to 120 days in the county jail Wednesday after police said she starved her pit bull, which eventually died despite efforts by rescuers to try and save the dog’s life.

Sarah Wells, 37, had originally been charged with FELONY ANIMAL CRUELTY in which she faced up to FIVE YEARS IN PRISON if convicted.

Instead, lazy prosecutors and Volusia County Judge Bryan Feigenbaum let her plead "no contest" to the less serious charge of MISDEMEANOR ANIMAL CRUELTY -- essentially the same level of crime as driving without insurance, shoplifting, vandalism and driving without a license. The crime of slowly starving this poor dog to death, in the eyes of the law, is equal to someone stealing a DVD from Walmart.

Volusia County Judge Bryan Feigenbaum adjudicated Wells guilty and sentenced her to 120 days in the county jail followed by 12 months of unsupervised probation based on the plea agreement.

Wells is barred from owning any animals while on probation. But as soon as her one-year probation ends, she is free to get new animals and starve them to death.

So she doesn't get sentenced to state prison, she is only sent to the county jail -- which is much easier and more lenient than a state prison. With jail overcrowding, most inmates are only required to serve 1/3 of their sentence - so this really means she's only been sentenced to 40 days, about a month for the crime of slowly starving her dog to death. 

 

 

Animal abusers will only be deterred from abusing and killing animals when the punishment fits the crime. Also, if you look at Wells' criminal history, you'll see one arrest after another for domestic violence/battery. In fact, she was arrested for bettery AFTER she had been arrested for animal cruelty!!! 

Seems no one in Volusia County cares that she is 100% guaranteed to continue to abuse animals and humans without fear of punishment.

SHAMEFUL:

Volusia County Judge Bryan Feigenbaum is an embarrassment

The case started when police were called Dec. 20 to the Edgewater Animal Shelter, 605 Mango Tree Drive, where they were told that a woman had surrendered a sickly dog the previous day, according to an arrest report.

The woman, later identified as Wells, claimed to shelter staff that the Pit Bull was a stray that had simply walked onto her property, a report stated. But animal shelter staffers were skeptical because the dog was so malnourished that it even wasn’t able to stand up on its own, police said.

Wells subsequently admitted to lying to animal shelter workers, police said. She said the dog named Wiggins had belonged to her and to a man who had lived at the house.

Shelter workers took the dog to Newman Veterinary Center where staff worked to try to save its life. Animal shelter employees renamed the dog Adonis and mounted a social media campaign to help pay for the dog’s care. However, the dog's vital organs had shut down due to the extreme starvation and, despite their best efforts, he died.

“Our sweet Adonis took a serious turn for the worse this afternoon,” the Edgewater Animal Shelter wrote in a Facebook post on Feb. 15. “He passed away surrounded by people that loved him. His body just gave up, he could not overcome the starvation and neglect he suffered.”

 

 

ARREST HISTORY FOR SARAH WELLS:

ARREST DATE: MARCH 26, 2011
Full Name: Sarah Marie Wells
Date:03/26/2011
Arresting Agency: SDPD - SOUTH DAYTONA POLICE DEPARTMENT
Arrest Age:30
Current Age: 36
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthdate: 11/21/1980
Block: 500 Reed Canal Rd
City: South Daytona, Florida 32119
Charges
#1 BATTERY (DV = DOMESTIC VIOLENCE)

ARREST DATE: NOVEMBER 14, 2011
Full Name: Sarah Marie Wells
Date:11/14/2011
Arresting Agency: EWPD - EDGEWATER POLICE
Arrest Age:30
Current Age: 36
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthdate: 11/21/1980
Charges
#1 DOMESTIC BATTERY

ARREST DATE: JANUARY 9, 2013
Full Name: Sarah M Wells
Date:01/09/2013
Time: 1:59 AM
Arresting Agency: EWPD - EDGEWATER POLICE
Total Bond: $1500
Arrest Age:32
Current Age: 36
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthdate: 11/21/1980
Block: Sandhill Rd
City: Ballybunnion, Kerry
Charges
#1 BATTERY CAUSE BODILY HARM
STATUTE: 784.03(1)(a)2
BOND: $1500

ARREST DATE: DECEMBER 21, 2017
Full Name: Sarah M Wells
Date:12/21/2017
Time: 3:35 PM
Arresting Agency: EWPD - EDGEWATER POLICE
Total Bond: $5000
Arrest Age:37
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthdate: 11/21/1980
Block: 300 Berry St
City: San Francisco, California 94158
Charges
#1 FELONY CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
STATUTE: 828.12(2)(a)
BOND: $5000

ARREST DATE: JANUARY 12, 2018
Full Name: Sarah M Wells
Date:01/12/2018
Time: 12:00 PM
Arresting Agency: VCSO - VOLUSIA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Total Bond: $5000
Arrest Age:37
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthdate: 11/21/1980
Block: 300 Berry St
City: San Francisco, California 94158
Charges
#1 BATTERY
STATUTE: 784.03(1)(a)
BOND: $5000

IF YOU LIVE IN THIS AREA, CALL JUDGE FEIGENBAUM'S OFFICE AND LET THEM KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS SENTENCE:

Judge Bryan A. Feigenbaum
Division 80
125 E. Orange Avenue
Daytona Beach, FL  32114
Phone (386) 257-6074
Fax (386) 248-8136

Volusia County Court Judge Bryan A. Feigenbaum was appointed to the bench in 2010. Before becoming a judge, he was an assistant state attorney for the Office of the State Attorney, Seventh Judicial Circuit. Judge Feigenbaum earned an undergraduate degree from Davidson College and juris doctor from the University of Florida. He currently hears criminal cases and presides over Veterans Court at the Volusia County Courthouse Annex at City Island in Daytona Beach.

(News Journal Online - Feb 22, 2018)