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)
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Woman pleads guilty to animal cruelty
MICHIGAN -- A Hillman area woman pleaded guilty to a count of animal cruelty or abandonment and a count of killing or torturing animals after police took 37 dogs and six miniature horses from her property.
Jennifer Elen Tucker-Richard, 35, could spend four years in prison, do 500 hours of community service or pay a $5,000 fine for the two felony counts stemming from an incident in January when Montmorency County sheriff's deputies confiscated the animals. All were suffering from a lack of basic care, and had no food, drinkable water or proper shelter, according to a release from the department.
Tucker-Richard pleaded guilty to negligently allowing 10 or more animals to suffer unnecessary neglect torture or pain, as 26th Circuit Court Judge Michael Mack described the charge. She also pleaded guilty to committing a reckless act knowing, or having reason to know, that the act would cause an animal to be killed, tortured, mutilated or maimed. She likely will be ordered not to own or posess any animals following her sentencing on April 22.
Originally, Tucker-Richard stood mute on five charges, but changed her plea after her attorney, James Schmier, spoke with Montmorency County Prosecutor Terrie Case and Mack about a plea agreement. In exchange for her guilty plea, the court dropped an additional animal abandonment or cruelty charge, and two counts of using a computer to commit a crime.
Tucker-Richard admitted she was negligent in caring for the animals, telling the court she did know they were cold. One dog nearly froze to death due to the extreme temperatures on Jan. 24 and lack of provisions for the dog.
"Is it accurate to say that the weather was below zero?" Case asked Tucker-Richard.
"It was very cold," she replied.
While Tucker-Richard exposed the animals to conditions they shouldn't have been, she didn't torture them, Schmier said after the court proceedings. She has no criminal history, and was selling the dogs to make some money.
"This is not an evil lady, this is not Michael Vick. This is not somebody breeding pit bulls so they can kill each other," he said.
After being confiscated by police, the dogs were taken to Elk Country Animal Shelter and the horses were taken to a farm near Atlanta, shelter Director Pauline Hancock said. She had helped deputies take in the animals, and said in January that a number of the dogs were covered in feces, while others had blood on their paws from clawing apart roadkill deer they'd been given for food. Many had parasites, and some had skin conditions from the unsanitary conditions.
Since then, volunteers have cleaned and treated the dogs, Hancock said. The dog that nearly died of hypothermia has recovered, although some of the canines still have skin issues.
The shelter can now accept applications for adoptions for the dogs, and will start getting them spayed and neutered, Hancock said. There has been considerable interest in the dogs since the news broke in January, and many have donated to the shelter to help volunteers nurse them back to health.
"The community has really come forward and stepped up to help with their care in terms of monetary donations, supplies and food," she said.
The horses are being cared for by Second Chance Ranch and Rescue, a Boyne City-based horse rescue operation, Executive Director Pamela Graves said. Anyone interested in adopting them can visit www.secondchanceranchandrescue.com to fill out an application.
(The Alpena News - Feb 25, 2013)
Jennifer Elen Tucker-Richard, 35, could spend four years in prison, do 500 hours of community service or pay a $5,000 fine for the two felony counts stemming from an incident in January when Montmorency County sheriff's deputies confiscated the animals. All were suffering from a lack of basic care, and had no food, drinkable water or proper shelter, according to a release from the department.
Tucker-Richard pleaded guilty to negligently allowing 10 or more animals to suffer unnecessary neglect torture or pain, as 26th Circuit Court Judge Michael Mack described the charge. She also pleaded guilty to committing a reckless act knowing, or having reason to know, that the act would cause an animal to be killed, tortured, mutilated or maimed. She likely will be ordered not to own or posess any animals following her sentencing on April 22.
Originally, Tucker-Richard stood mute on five charges, but changed her plea after her attorney, James Schmier, spoke with Montmorency County Prosecutor Terrie Case and Mack about a plea agreement. In exchange for her guilty plea, the court dropped an additional animal abandonment or cruelty charge, and two counts of using a computer to commit a crime.
Tucker-Richard admitted she was negligent in caring for the animals, telling the court she did know they were cold. One dog nearly froze to death due to the extreme temperatures on Jan. 24 and lack of provisions for the dog.
"Is it accurate to say that the weather was below zero?" Case asked Tucker-Richard.
"It was very cold," she replied.
While Tucker-Richard exposed the animals to conditions they shouldn't have been, she didn't torture them, Schmier said after the court proceedings. She has no criminal history, and was selling the dogs to make some money.
"This is not an evil lady, this is not Michael Vick. This is not somebody breeding pit bulls so they can kill each other," he said.
After being confiscated by police, the dogs were taken to Elk Country Animal Shelter and the horses were taken to a farm near Atlanta, shelter Director Pauline Hancock said. She had helped deputies take in the animals, and said in January that a number of the dogs were covered in feces, while others had blood on their paws from clawing apart roadkill deer they'd been given for food. Many had parasites, and some had skin conditions from the unsanitary conditions.
Since then, volunteers have cleaned and treated the dogs, Hancock said. The dog that nearly died of hypothermia has recovered, although some of the canines still have skin issues.
The shelter can now accept applications for adoptions for the dogs, and will start getting them spayed and neutered, Hancock said. There has been considerable interest in the dogs since the news broke in January, and many have donated to the shelter to help volunteers nurse them back to health.
"The community has really come forward and stepped up to help with their care in terms of monetary donations, supplies and food," she said.
The horses are being cared for by Second Chance Ranch and Rescue, a Boyne City-based horse rescue operation, Executive Director Pamela Graves said. Anyone interested in adopting them can visit www.secondchanceranchandrescue.com to fill out an application.
(The Alpena News - Feb 25, 2013)
Earlier:
United Kingdom: Family's Chocolate Labrador has to have 79 stones removed from his stomach after eating them during walk on the beach
UNITED KINGDOM -- When Kim Woollard’s dog Barney started feeling under the weather, she had no idea what could be wrong.
He’d been on a long walk on the beach the day before, and had seemed perfectly perky. But when Mrs Woollard took him to the vets and they gave him an x-ray - the answer was right in front of him.
Barney had eaten a staggering 109 pebbles during his walk on the beach.
The vets found 79 pebbles in stomach cavity - and Mrs Woollard found a further 30 stones in his basket when she returned home, that had already passed through his system.
Mrs Woollard, 52, who lives with husband Andrew, 58, a builder, in Chessington, Surrey, said: ‘We were absolutely astounded when we saw the x-ray and it showed why Barney was feeling under the weather.
‘No wonder he had been feeling sluggish when there were more than a hundred stones in his stomach.
‘When the vet showed us the x-ray I was gobsmacked. You could see lots of the pebbles still in his stomach and intestine.’
Mrs Woollard, a jeweller, had enjoyed a walk on a beach in Kent the previous day in September, with Barney her chocolate labrador.
She said: ‘Barney was always full of energy and he loved going for walks on the beach. It was a pebbly beach and I let him off the lead there as there wasn’t anyone on the beach apart from us.
‘Andrew and I were chatting and watching Barney, but we didn’t see him do anything out of the ordinary. He was racing along enjoying himself.’
Mr Woollard noticed a few stones in Barney’s basket when the couple returned home, but didn’t think anything of it.
But then the following day, Barney seemed off colour and some more stones were in his basket, so Mrs Woollard decided that she would take him down to the vet.
She said: ‘It looked like he had passed some pebbles, so I took him to the vet for a check up.
‘Andrew had ran his hand under his belly and we could actually hear them rattling, so we knew that there was a few more still in there.’
The x-ray showed that Barney had gobbled more stones that Mrs Woollard had even suspected.
She said: ‘I was astounded when I saw how many had eaten, and we hadn’t seen a thing whilst we were on the beach.
'He’d kept going into the sea and if he’d had his mouth open then he may have swallowed the stones then. I thought he may have swallowed a few, and then passed them in his basket, but I’d never imagined that it would be so many. The vet told us that it had been a good job that we had acted so quickly.’
Barney had an operation to remove the stones - and vets counted a staggering 79 in total, in addition to the 30 later found in his basket.
Luckily Barney made a full recovery from the operation. But vets also discovered that eating the stones had damaged his teeth and he needed a further operation on one of his front teeth a few weeks ago.
Mrs Woollard, who has three daughters Katie, 17, Holly, 15, and Emily, 13, added: ‘Since he was a puppy Barney has always chewed things. He’s always stealing washing off the line and tissues. He grabs them and hides them in his basket.
‘But we never imagined that he’d be swallowing stones when we took him to the beach. I think pebbly beaches are out of the question for him now.’
(DailyMail - Feb 24, 2013)
He’d been on a long walk on the beach the day before, and had seemed perfectly perky. But when Mrs Woollard took him to the vets and they gave him an x-ray - the answer was right in front of him.
Barney had eaten a staggering 109 pebbles during his walk on the beach.
The vets found 79 pebbles in stomach cavity - and Mrs Woollard found a further 30 stones in his basket when she returned home, that had already passed through his system.
Mrs Woollard, 52, who lives with husband Andrew, 58, a builder, in Chessington, Surrey, said: ‘We were absolutely astounded when we saw the x-ray and it showed why Barney was feeling under the weather.
‘No wonder he had been feeling sluggish when there were more than a hundred stones in his stomach.
‘When the vet showed us the x-ray I was gobsmacked. You could see lots of the pebbles still in his stomach and intestine.’
Mrs Woollard, a jeweller, had enjoyed a walk on a beach in Kent the previous day in September, with Barney her chocolate labrador.
She said: ‘Barney was always full of energy and he loved going for walks on the beach. It was a pebbly beach and I let him off the lead there as there wasn’t anyone on the beach apart from us.
‘Andrew and I were chatting and watching Barney, but we didn’t see him do anything out of the ordinary. He was racing along enjoying himself.’
Mr Woollard noticed a few stones in Barney’s basket when the couple returned home, but didn’t think anything of it.
But then the following day, Barney seemed off colour and some more stones were in his basket, so Mrs Woollard decided that she would take him down to the vet.
She said: ‘It looked like he had passed some pebbles, so I took him to the vet for a check up.
‘Andrew had ran his hand under his belly and we could actually hear them rattling, so we knew that there was a few more still in there.’
The x-ray showed that Barney had gobbled more stones that Mrs Woollard had even suspected.
She said: ‘I was astounded when I saw how many had eaten, and we hadn’t seen a thing whilst we were on the beach.
'He’d kept going into the sea and if he’d had his mouth open then he may have swallowed the stones then. I thought he may have swallowed a few, and then passed them in his basket, but I’d never imagined that it would be so many. The vet told us that it had been a good job that we had acted so quickly.’
Barney had an operation to remove the stones - and vets counted a staggering 79 in total, in addition to the 30 later found in his basket.
Luckily Barney made a full recovery from the operation. But vets also discovered that eating the stones had damaged his teeth and he needed a further operation on one of his front teeth a few weeks ago.
Mrs Woollard, who has three daughters Katie, 17, Holly, 15, and Emily, 13, added: ‘Since he was a puppy Barney has always chewed things. He’s always stealing washing off the line and tissues. He grabs them and hides them in his basket.
‘But we never imagined that he’d be swallowing stones when we took him to the beach. I think pebbly beaches are out of the question for him now.’
(DailyMail - Feb 24, 2013)
South-side residents shocked by cruelty caught on camera
ARIZONA -- Residents in a neighborhood on Tucson's south side expressed shock and anger after seeing footage of a little white dog being violently flung over a fence, into a resident's backyard.
The video was recorded by a surveillance camera set up outside Ivan Salazar's home on East Park Estates Circle.
Salazar said he had set up cameras to catch people who were vandalizing cars in the neighborhood, instead he caught a horrible case of animal abuse. The culprits were children living near the area.
The video showed a group of children outside Salazar's home, some of them on bicycles. Then you see a boy in a red shirt fling a little white dog with all of his strength over Salazar's fence into his backyard. The dog flipped in the air at least three times before landing.
Salazar said he looked up the footage after coming home to find the little white dog in his backyard, along with his two pit bulls. The dog appeared to be OK, but he wondered how it got there, and went back to look at his tapes. What he saw shocked him.
"The dog was flying," Salazar said. "It flipped in the air three times, and slammed against the fence. The kid just grabbed him with all his strength and threw him like it was a little toy or something."
He said he was concerned because acts of violence against animals usually progressed into more violence in children, if it remained unchecked.
The dog, a little white poodle-mix named Chickees belongs to Priscilla Romero and her children. She saw the video for the first time, in our live truck and was horrified.
"I am very disturbed right now, very upset," Romero said. "I think it's a parent's responsibility to know how their kids are treating other kids or pets."
We also caught up with the family of one of the little boys featured in the surveillance footage. They had no idea their children had been involved in the incident, and were horrified to see the video. The family told Tucson News Now the 10-year-old boy in the red shirt who flung the dog was a cousin who was visiting.
We spoke to the 13-year-old boy who was with him when it happened.
"I was not going to jump over the fence and see if it was OK. I was shocked, I said to him why did you throw the dog?" said the little boy.
Romero said she did not plan to notify authorities or press charges. She just hoped this incident would serve as a wake up call for parents to talk to their children about animal abuse and cruelty, with their children.
The dog who was flung over the fence appeared to be doing OK on Monday afternoon.
(Tucson News Now - Feb 26, 2013)
The video was recorded by a surveillance camera set up outside Ivan Salazar's home on East Park Estates Circle.
Salazar said he had set up cameras to catch people who were vandalizing cars in the neighborhood, instead he caught a horrible case of animal abuse. The culprits were children living near the area.
The video showed a group of children outside Salazar's home, some of them on bicycles. Then you see a boy in a red shirt fling a little white dog with all of his strength over Salazar's fence into his backyard. The dog flipped in the air at least three times before landing.
Salazar said he looked up the footage after coming home to find the little white dog in his backyard, along with his two pit bulls. The dog appeared to be OK, but he wondered how it got there, and went back to look at his tapes. What he saw shocked him.
"The dog was flying," Salazar said. "It flipped in the air three times, and slammed against the fence. The kid just grabbed him with all his strength and threw him like it was a little toy or something."
He said he was concerned because acts of violence against animals usually progressed into more violence in children, if it remained unchecked.
The dog, a little white poodle-mix named Chickees belongs to Priscilla Romero and her children. She saw the video for the first time, in our live truck and was horrified.
"I am very disturbed right now, very upset," Romero said. "I think it's a parent's responsibility to know how their kids are treating other kids or pets."
We also caught up with the family of one of the little boys featured in the surveillance footage. They had no idea their children had been involved in the incident, and were horrified to see the video. The family told Tucson News Now the 10-year-old boy in the red shirt who flung the dog was a cousin who was visiting.
We spoke to the 13-year-old boy who was with him when it happened.
"I was not going to jump over the fence and see if it was OK. I was shocked, I said to him why did you throw the dog?" said the little boy.
Romero said she did not plan to notify authorities or press charges. She just hoped this incident would serve as a wake up call for parents to talk to their children about animal abuse and cruelty, with their children.
The dog who was flung over the fence appeared to be doing OK on Monday afternoon.
(Tucson News Now - Feb 26, 2013)
Charges filed for animal cruelty
PENNSYLVANIA -- A Dingmans Ferry woman was charged Saturday with cruelty to animals and Pennsylvania dog law violations.
According to a press release, Jessica Cortes was charged after an anonymous tip led authorities to her abandoned Wild Acres home in Delaware Twp., Pike County on Feb. 20. An emaciated dog was discovered living in the home's basement.
A Pennsylvania humane society police officer and a Pennsylvania dog warden were able to view the dog through a broken window.
Cortes was located by authorities and surrendered the dog, a five-year-old female Catahoula, to Dessin Animal Shelter in Honesdale.
Humane Society Police Officer Marlene Metzger, employed by the shelter, removed the dog from Cortes' property and took it directly to a veterinarian for medical care.
The dog was discharged Feb. 23, is currently in stable condition, and placed in a foster home.
She will be monitored during her recovery and rehabilitation.
(Wayne Independent - Feb 26, 2013)
According to a press release, Jessica Cortes was charged after an anonymous tip led authorities to her abandoned Wild Acres home in Delaware Twp., Pike County on Feb. 20. An emaciated dog was discovered living in the home's basement.
A Pennsylvania humane society police officer and a Pennsylvania dog warden were able to view the dog through a broken window.
Cortes was located by authorities and surrendered the dog, a five-year-old female Catahoula, to Dessin Animal Shelter in Honesdale.
Humane Society Police Officer Marlene Metzger, employed by the shelter, removed the dog from Cortes' property and took it directly to a veterinarian for medical care.
The dog was discharged Feb. 23, is currently in stable condition, and placed in a foster home.
She will be monitored during her recovery and rehabilitation.
(Wayne Independent - Feb 26, 2013)
Utah ranchers charged with 101 counts of animal cruelty
UTAH -- Deputies encountered a harrowing sight during a recent visit to a ranch near Spanish Forks - three horses buried in a shallow grave, several others so malnourished they couldn't stand, and another stuck in a fence and too weak to break free.
Accompanied by a veterinarian, Utah County Sheriff's visited the ranch last week after getting a tip from a resident. Of about 100 horses on the ranch, five have died in recent weeks and about 12 others are "skin and bones, at death's doorstep," Cannon said. He said Trudy Childs has told them that 12 horses have died recently from starvation.
It's the first arrest for Rory Childs, but his mother has been previously charged with animal cruelty and more than 400 counts of livestock at large, Cannon said. Deputies have had regular contact with what he said has been a problematic ranch.
Rory Childs called the charges false and unfair, and said they'll fight them in court.
"We've been doing everything we can to keep them fed and get them back healthy," Rory Childs said.
He said they're stuck in a legal dispute with a ranch near Ogden that was supposed to feed and take care of their horses in a contractual agreement they entered into. They are unable to sell the horses due to the ongoing case. He said the ranch wasn't feeding the horses, and that they got them back last fall in bad shape.
They've been in the business of horse breeding for about 30 years, he said, but were unable to do their annual sale of baby horses last fall due to the legal dispute. Without that money, they haven't been able to pay the $1,500 and $2,000 a week to feed all the horses, Rory Childs said. On their website, the Childs ask for donations to help feed the horses.
But Cannon said the Childs have made no effort to get help or sell the horses.
"It doesn't matter that they may not have the means to buy the food or the feed for the horses," Cannon said. "That doesn't absolve them of their responsibility."
Authorities have been giving the horses food and water. Cannon said it likely took about six months of consistent malnourishment for the 12 horses near death to get to that state. It will likely take the same amount of time for them to recover, if they do.
There was only one source of water for the horses, and they hadn't been drinking from it, Cannon said. The veterinarian said that's likely because the water was dirty or causing them to get sick, he said.
"We're not saying they weren't fed at all," Cannon said, "but were not getting fed enough."
Trudy and Rory Childs are scheduled to be back in court on Feb. 25, Cannon said.
(Standard.net - Feb 19, 2013)
Now, the owners of the Smokey Mountain Ranch are facing jail time for what authorities say is severe neglect of about 100 horses living there.
Utah County Sheriff's office has arrested Trudy Childs, 59, and her son, Rory Childs, 31, on 101 counts of animal cruelty and 31 counts of livestock at large, Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon said.
Utah County Sheriff's office has arrested Trudy Childs, 59, and her son, Rory Childs, 31, on 101 counts of animal cruelty and 31 counts of livestock at large, Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon said.
Accompanied by a veterinarian, Utah County Sheriff's visited the ranch last week after getting a tip from a resident. Of about 100 horses on the ranch, five have died in recent weeks and about 12 others are "skin and bones, at death's doorstep," Cannon said. He said Trudy Childs has told them that 12 horses have died recently from starvation.
It's the first arrest for Rory Childs, but his mother has been previously charged with animal cruelty and more than 400 counts of livestock at large, Cannon said. Deputies have had regular contact with what he said has been a problematic ranch.
Rory Childs called the charges false and unfair, and said they'll fight them in court.
 |
| Trudy Childs |
 |
| Rory Childs |
"We've been doing everything we can to keep them fed and get them back healthy," Rory Childs said.
He said they're stuck in a legal dispute with a ranch near Ogden that was supposed to feed and take care of their horses in a contractual agreement they entered into. They are unable to sell the horses due to the ongoing case. He said the ranch wasn't feeding the horses, and that they got them back last fall in bad shape.
They've been in the business of horse breeding for about 30 years, he said, but were unable to do their annual sale of baby horses last fall due to the legal dispute. Without that money, they haven't been able to pay the $1,500 and $2,000 a week to feed all the horses, Rory Childs said. On their website, the Childs ask for donations to help feed the horses.
But Cannon said the Childs have made no effort to get help or sell the horses.
Authorities have been giving the horses food and water. Cannon said it likely took about six months of consistent malnourishment for the 12 horses near death to get to that state. It will likely take the same amount of time for them to recover, if they do.
There was only one source of water for the horses, and they hadn't been drinking from it, Cannon said. The veterinarian said that's likely because the water was dirty or causing them to get sick, he said.
"We're not saying they weren't fed at all," Cannon said, "but were not getting fed enough."
Trudy and Rory Childs are scheduled to be back in court on Feb. 25, Cannon said.
(Standard.net - Feb 19, 2013)
INJUSTICE: Cat killer acquitted of animal cruelty
PENNSYLVANIA -- A jury acquitted a University of Scranton student on Monday on a charge of animal cruelty for killing a stray cat in the Hill Section last summer.
While it was not disputed that Peter Freshour had fatally stabbed the gray-coated feline that some neighbors called "Pepper" and others called "Baby," the jury had to decide whether the political science and history major killed the cat out of self-defense, as he contended, or if he set out to maliciously end its life.
Following nearly six hours of testimony in the one-day trial, the jury sided with Mr. Freshour, who took the stand and said the stray cat clung his leg outside his apartment and sunk its claws and teeth into him.
"It came at me with ferocity," said the 21-year-old student during his testimony, who mimicked with his hands and a facial expression the look of a cat crouched low to the ground, preparing for attack, hair raised and hissing.
After the cat latched onto his leg and dug into his flesh, Mr. Freshour testified that he first tried to shake it off. When he determined the cat "wasn't coming off," he stabbed the feline two or three times with a knife he was carrying, he testified.
As the cat began crawling away "crying," barely able to move, and gushing blood, Mr. Freshour said he then "finished it off," he testified in the case before Lackawanna County Judge Michael J. Barrasse.
Two witnesses testified they saw Mr. Freshour stab the cat, but they said they did not see it attack him.
Michael Goffer, an assistant district attorney prosecuting the case, said a city police officer called to investigate the stabbing did not notice any injuries on Mr. Freshour and that he never made mention of the attack.
During cross-examination, he rhetorically asked Mr. Freshour why a former high school football player and wrestler who is about six-feet tall and weighs roughly 220 pounds would resort to stabbing the cat when it may have been easier to kick it aside.
"I think that's easy to say in hindsight," Mr. Freshour replied.
However, Mr. Freshour's attorney Paul Walker of Scranton argued that Mr. Freshour has a rare illness called Wilson's disease that has severely affected his health, and he was alarmed what diseases the cat could be carrying, including rabies.
"I received innumerable amounts of hate mail; I had to cancel my Facebook," said Mr. Freshour, after the jury returned the verdict, of what he encountered when he was charged with the misdemeanor crime in August. "I also want to say that I love cats dearly, and I love my cat, Largo."
As he mentioned his fondness for felines during an interview with reporters, a group of local animal rights activists, who sat together through the entire trial and had pinned on their shirts a white ribbon saying "justice for a friendly cat" in black lettering along with printed black cat paws, began laughing out loud in disbelief.
"In my mind, he is guilty, he always will be guilty, he knows he's guilty," said Denise Kumor, who founded Tracey's Hope, a local nonprofit offering care for sick and terminally ill pets.
Freshour's defense attorney, Mr. Walker, was not pleased with their laughter then, and when they started "snickering" during his closing arguments when he made mention of how dangerous cats can be.
"I don't have a problem with them supporting animal rights, but show the appropriate decorum and respect for the courtroom," Mr. Walker said. "It's despicable, and I am disgusted with their behavior."
(Scranton Times-Tribune - Feb 26, 2013)
Earlier:
While it was not disputed that Peter Freshour had fatally stabbed the gray-coated feline that some neighbors called "Pepper" and others called "Baby," the jury had to decide whether the political science and history major killed the cat out of self-defense, as he contended, or if he set out to maliciously end its life.
 |
| Free to kill other animals |
Following nearly six hours of testimony in the one-day trial, the jury sided with Mr. Freshour, who took the stand and said the stray cat clung his leg outside his apartment and sunk its claws and teeth into him.
"It came at me with ferocity," said the 21-year-old student during his testimony, who mimicked with his hands and a facial expression the look of a cat crouched low to the ground, preparing for attack, hair raised and hissing.
After the cat latched onto his leg and dug into his flesh, Mr. Freshour testified that he first tried to shake it off. When he determined the cat "wasn't coming off," he stabbed the feline two or three times with a knife he was carrying, he testified.
As the cat began crawling away "crying," barely able to move, and gushing blood, Mr. Freshour said he then "finished it off," he testified in the case before Lackawanna County Judge Michael J. Barrasse.
Two witnesses testified they saw Mr. Freshour stab the cat, but they said they did not see it attack him.
Michael Goffer, an assistant district attorney prosecuting the case, said a city police officer called to investigate the stabbing did not notice any injuries on Mr. Freshour and that he never made mention of the attack.
During cross-examination, he rhetorically asked Mr. Freshour why a former high school football player and wrestler who is about six-feet tall and weighs roughly 220 pounds would resort to stabbing the cat when it may have been easier to kick it aside.
"I think that's easy to say in hindsight," Mr. Freshour replied.
However, Mr. Freshour's attorney Paul Walker of Scranton argued that Mr. Freshour has a rare illness called Wilson's disease that has severely affected his health, and he was alarmed what diseases the cat could be carrying, including rabies.
"I received innumerable amounts of hate mail; I had to cancel my Facebook," said Mr. Freshour, after the jury returned the verdict, of what he encountered when he was charged with the misdemeanor crime in August. "I also want to say that I love cats dearly, and I love my cat, Largo."
As he mentioned his fondness for felines during an interview with reporters, a group of local animal rights activists, who sat together through the entire trial and had pinned on their shirts a white ribbon saying "justice for a friendly cat" in black lettering along with printed black cat paws, began laughing out loud in disbelief.
"In my mind, he is guilty, he always will be guilty, he knows he's guilty," said Denise Kumor, who founded Tracey's Hope, a local nonprofit offering care for sick and terminally ill pets.
Freshour's defense attorney, Mr. Walker, was not pleased with their laughter then, and when they started "snickering" during his closing arguments when he made mention of how dangerous cats can be.
"I don't have a problem with them supporting animal rights, but show the appropriate decorum and respect for the courtroom," Mr. Walker said. "It's despicable, and I am disgusted with their behavior."
(Scranton Times-Tribune - Feb 26, 2013)
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