State v. Randy Atkinson, a case we prosecuted for the Medina County SPCA. Atkinson was convicted of animal cruelty for placing a cat in an oven back in 2010. The cat’s paws were singed, but it survived without severe harm. He was put on probation for 5 years, which included a prohibition against keeping animals.…
State v. Lisa Gilliam, a case we prosecuted for the Animal Cruelty Taskforce, the county humane society serving Union County, Ohio. Gilliam pled guilty to animal cruelty regarding two horses which were starved, and ultimately euthanized due to their poor condition. Four other counts were dropped to secure her plea. One of the success stories…
State v. Barbara Fogl, a case we prosecuted for the Medina County SPCA. Fogl was charged with multiple counts of neglect related to her care of 16 animals, including cats and Saluki, Afghan, and Lowchen breed dogs. The animals were kept in deplorable conditions. A strong odor of feces and urine could be detected when…
State v. William Congress, a case we prosecuted for the Cleveland APL in the Cleveland Municipal Court. On Christmas Day, 2013, Congress sent a disturbing Facebook instant message to his roommate, who was out of town visiting family over the holidays. He admitted to beating the roommate’s dog, Caesar, because the dog damaged the floor…
State v. Nancy and Christopher Farley; cases we prosecuted for the Lake Humane Society. A car was towed to a repair shop, filled with clothing and other personal items. The smell was so strong inside the vehicle that the mechanic thought it contained a dead body. He called the police who then summoned Humane Agents…
State v. Willie Powell, Jr., a case we prosecuted for the Cleveland Animal Protective League. Judge Ronald Adrine sentenced Powell to serve 6 months in jail for the neglect of his four dogs, the maximum penalty for a first degree misdemeanor. Powell was previously convicted of attempted dog fighting in 2002. In this case, Powell’s…
State v. Jesse Fry, a case we prosecuted for the Medina County SPCA. Fry’s dog “Chronos,” now known as “Brutus,” was kept in a crate too small to stand up in, forcing the dog to lay in his own excrement. He suffered a urine scald and brown urine and feces stains were visible on his…
State v. Robert Konst (a.k.a. “Hollywood Bob”), a case we prosecuted for the Geauga County Humane Society. 74 cats and one dead kitten were found at Konst’s residence and place of business in overcrowded and filthy conditions. Animals suffered from a variety of ailments including severe upper respiratory infections, conjunctivitis, and infected and ruptured eyes.…
State v. Jose DeJesus, a case we prosecuted for the Cleveland Animal Protective League. DeJesus was found guilty of three counts of animal neglect related to the care of birds kept on his property. DeJesus had 80-100 birds on his property, mostly chickens. Most of the birds were being kept in filthy conditions, and without…
State v. Joshua Maldonado, a case we prosecuted for the Cleveland Animal Protective League. Maldonado was found guilty of one count of animal cruelty, a first degree misdemeanor, for the injury to his dog “Diamond.” In this case, witnesses reported either seeing or hearing the Defendant beat Diamond. When the APL responded to the complaints,…