State v. Terry Shkurka, a case we prosecuted for the Cleveland Animal Protective League. Shkurka admitted trapping an opossum and then holding the cage down in a rubber tub full of water to drown it. He said he has disposed of nuisance animals in this fashion before, and that sometimes he had to put them back…
State v. Glenda Murray, a case we prosecuted for the Cleveland Animal Protective League. Glenda Murray was charged related to her neglect of two emaciated, ill dogs tethered without shelter in cold weather. Glenda Murray’s husband, Fuller Murray, who was also charged, is currently serving jail time on felony firearms and assault charges and his…
State v. Melody and Edward McDonald; cases we prosecuted for the Cleveland Animal Protective League. Both will serve jail time. The Defendants, husband and wife, were each found guilty of keeping three dogs in filthy conditions. The floors of the residence were caked with animal fecal matter and debris. The house smelled extremely foul. After…
State v. Carlos Diaz, a case we prosecuted for the Cleveland Animal Protective League. Diaz kept 15 roosters and hens in a filthy, sewage-filled basement. A number of the birds had untreated injuries, were underweight, or were otherwise ill. Food for the birds was scattered amongst the sewage, and no clean water was available. Diaz…
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. 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. 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,…
State v. Joseph Salett, a case we prosecuted for the Cleveland APL. Salett was found guilty of companion animal cruelty for failing to provide adequate food or water to two dogs, who were both Body Condition Score 2. Salett was sentenced to 90 days in jail, which may be imposed if he fails to complete…
State v. Jose Cintron, a case we prosecuted for the Cleveland Animal Protective League. This case received some earlier news coverage because the mother was in poor condition, and the puppy was nursed back to health by a cat. Both animals made a full recovery. The Defendant was found guilty today of animal neglect in the Cleveland…