UPDATE: Guilty Pleas for Men Charged in Dog Stabbings

“The laws related to crimes like this need to be raised to felony charges! 7 months for their brutal attack is pathetic! When someone has purposefully & intentionally killed an animal without any provocation…what does that say about their state of mind? Will they have forgotten all about it in 7 months…No…likely to do something like this again..YES…but they will make sure they are undetected next time. Look at the anger, the evil in their eye’s…watch out for these names in the future, they have a mean streak, they will offend again!” 

UPDATE 9/13/12 @ 11:20 a.m.
LAWRENCE COUNTY, Ohio (WSAZ) — “This is the meanest act I’ve ever seen,” were the words of Judge Oakley Clark Collins Jr. just before sentencing the two men who pleaded guilty to stabbing and slitting the throats of two dogs.

Jonathan Jiles, 20, of Pedro, and Brian Sharp, 20, of Pedro, pleaded guilty to prohibition concerning companion animals and criminal trespassing during a hearing in Ironton Municipal court Thursday morning.

Each man was sentenced to seven months in the county jail, three years probation and fined $1,200. They must also pay restitution of $800 to the dog’s owner and can’t own a penned animal for three years.

The dog’s owners, Josie and Michael Scythes, found “Bubba” and “Bear” stabbed to death in the front yard of their home in Pedro last month.

Sheriff Lawless says following their arrest, both men admitted to their involvement in the stabbings and said they were drunk at the time. They also said they did not target the owners of the dogs.

Both Jiles and Sharp told the court they were sorry for what they did but the dog’s owner said they wish more could be done in cases like this.

“I just couldn’t believe why they would do something like this. Why they would want to do it. I’m very pleased they got the max the law would allow for such a brutal act. It should be considered a felony,” said Josie Scytes.
UPDATE 8/30/12 @ 9:10 a.m.
LAWRENCE COUNTY, Ohio (WSAZ) – A second person has been arrested in connection with the stabbing deaths of two dogs in Lawrence County, Ohio.

Sheriff Jeff Lawless says Jonathan Jiles, 20, of Pedro, was arrested Wednesday night. Brian Sharp, 20, of Pedro, was arrested Monday night.

Sheriff Lawless says both men admitted to their involvement in the stabbings and said they were drunk at the time. They also said they did not target the owners of the dogs.

The two dogs were found stabbed death in the front yard of a home in Pedro early Saturday morning.

Both men are charged with prohibition concerning companion animals. They are also charged with criminal trespassing.

When it came to choosing a charge, Lawless tells WSAZ.com that “When you have a crime like this, where people have targeted these innocent animals, we wanted to go after them. And as we looked at the statutes that would govern this for the Ohio Revised Code, cruelty to animals is certainly a charge that would stick so we wanted to research to see if there was something that was a little more stringent because we felt like the nature of the crime warranted a little bit more. So we were able to come up with a prohibition concerning companion animals charge.”

The charge is a misdemeanor one, compared to cruelty to animals being a misdemeanor two. The prohibition charge has a stiffer jail punishment.

The men face six months in jail if they are convicted.

ORIGINAL STORY 8/27/12 @ 12:30 p.m.
LAWRENCE COUNTY, Ohio (WSAZ) — A family from Lawrence County, Ohio is offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who can help find the person who stabbed their two dogs to death over the weekend.

Josie Scythes says it happened sometime early Saturday morning outside her home in the 300 block of State Route 373 in Pedro.

She and her husband found their two dogs with multiple stab wounds and their throats slit.

“I just don’t understand what kind of a person could do this to an innocent animal,” Scythes said. “And if they can do this, what’s next? Somebody’s kid?”

Scythes is asking anyone with any information to contact the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office. If a tip leads to an arrest, she is offering a $1,000 reward.

News Link:-http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/Family-Offers-Reward-after-Dogs-were-Stabbed-to-Death-167566755.html

 

Key Largo man convicted of beating Bubba the dog who swiped steak from kitchen

Jurors have found a Key Largo man guilty of felony animal cruelty that left an 8-month-old dog injured and fighting for its life.

Prosecutors say Noah Mitchell, 35, savagely beat his Labrador retriever, Bubba, during a barbecue on Oct. 3, 2010, because the animal took a steak from the kitchen counter. The six-member jury took about six hours to deliberate on Wednesday.

Animal cruelty is a third-degree felony in Florida. Third-degree felonies are usually punishable by up to five years in prison, but animal cruelty is among several charges with a maximum punishment of only one year in county jail and four years of probation.

Prosecutor Terri Hunnewell of the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office said Mitchell dropped, kicked, punched and strangled the dog around 9:30 p.m. that night. Mitchell had just moved into his house on Pimlico Lane.

Two men were also in the house when the incident happened — Curt Murphy and Gary Pitterman. Mitchell describes the men as “acquaintances” who helped him with the move. Pitterman was the prosecution’s only eyewitness. Mitchell’s defense attorney, Key West lawyer Donald Barrett, said Pitterman’s testimony was unreliable because he admittedly was drinking heavily that night.

But Hunnewell said the deputy who first interviewed Pitterman that night said the witness did not appear intoxicated. She told jurors that based on Bubba’s injuries, there was no reason they should doubt Pitterman’s version of the incident.

One veterinarian who observed Bubba at a Miami-Dade County animal clinic testified Tuesday that the dog’s injuries were consistent with those that an animal that size would sustain after falling from a two- to three-story building, or after being hit by a car. Bubba had collapsed lungs, a damaged larynx and six fractured ribs.

“The injuries are consistent with what Gary Pitterman said he saw Noah Mitchell do to Bubba,” Hunnewell told jurors during closing arguments Wednesday.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/24/2815141/key-largo-man-convicted-of-beating.html#storylink=cpy

 

Puppy with horrific injuries discovered along road in Texas

Sometimes bad things happen to good dogs. Thankfully, sometimes those victimized dogs are discovered, and helped, by good people. A puppy named Bubba has encountered both.

According to Karen Holland, Rescue Director of Chance’s Haven, 6-month-old Bubba was discovered along Main Street in Everman, Texas on May 5.

View slideshow: Bubba

Gilbert Salas, the animal control officer who discovered the puppy, quickly realized that something was terribly wrong and whisked the puppy to an emergency veterinary clinic. Here, Salas learned the horrible truth about what this puppy had endured.

According to the veterinarian, Bubba’s wounds, which include a broken hip, three fractures to his rear legs and multiple bite wounds, are consistent with those of a bait dog.

It is believed that Bubba’s legs were intentionally broken in order to render him immobile, making it easier for other dogs to attack him. Bubba’s injuries were so severe that the emergency veterinarian recommended euthanasia.

But Bubba’s story did not end at the clinic. Thankfully, his last moments alive were not shrouded by violence and unimaginable pain.

Instead, Chance’s Haven, a 501(c)3 organization, was contacted and the rescue agreed to take on Bubba; despite the knowledge that doing so would come at a huge expense.

Yesterday, Bubba underwent surgery for his multiple fractures at an orthopedic specialist in Pilot Point, Texas. He is currently sporting multiple plates and screws in his legs, but overall, his prognosis is good.

Those who have learned about Bubba’s horrific ordeal have been following his story closely on Facebook. Dozens have already contributed funds to help the rescue organization pay for Bubba’s extensive surgery.

Unfortunately, though the amount raised so far is admirable, it falls short by thousands.

Bubba has a long road ahead of him thanks to the cruelty of individuals mired in the ugly world of dog-fighting. Thankfully, he has landed in the arms of compassionate people who are working hard to undo the considerable wrongs that he has been forced to endure in his short life.

If you are interested in making a contribution towards Bubba’s care, please click here.

News Link:-http://www.examiner.com/article/puppy-with-horrific-injuries-discovered-along-road-texas?CID=obinsite