animal cruelty Archives - Page 5 of 10

Loser Who Killed Dog with Firecracker Goes to Jail for a Day

NOV. 25, 2015 UPDATE: Nicholas Garcia pleaded guilty today to causing the death of his neighbor’s Pit Bull with a firecracker, the Herald-News reports. He was sentenced to three years in prison on a charge of criminal damage to property (not animal cruelty). He must then serve an additional year for reckless discharge of a firearm. He will be eligible for parole in August 2017.

On July 7, Nicholas Garcia of Joliet, Ill., threw lit firecrackers at his neighbor’s Pit Bull, named America. As the neighbors watched in horror, America picked up one of the firecrackers in his mouth.

“It blew off the animal’s jaw,” Deputy Police Chief Ed Gregory told the Herald-News. America had to be euthanized.

Surprisingly, Garcia was not charged for animal cruelty, but for felony damage to property, along with two misdemeanor counts.

He finally turned himself in July 24. He paid his bail and was free to go.

On Aug. 8, barely a month after killing America, Garcia was pulled over by Joliet police after blowing through a stop sign. The officers found illegal fireworks — a mortar and two packages of “Nitro Bombs” — in the trunk of his car, according to the Herald-News. There were also three baggies of marijuana inside the car.

Garcia was charged with possession of fireworks, possession of marijuana and the traffic violations. He was released on his own recognizance.

In a court appearance today, Garcia became “visibly agitated” when he was taken into custody after Judge Daniel Rozak granted the prosecutor’s request to add a $25,000 bond due to the August arrest, the Herald-News reports.

Garcia’s attorney, Cosmo Tedone, who actually referred to himself an animal lover, insisted his client meant no harm to America.

“The dog got out and chased it, but there was no intent to hurt the animal and no charge of animal cruelty,” he said, according to the Herald-News.

Really? How could Garcia not know exactly what the horrible outcome would be when he was throwing lit firecrackers at the dog?

Garcia didn’t have much reason to be agitated. After spending less than seven hours in jail, he was released on $2,500 bail, the Shorewood Patch reports. He’s scheduled to appear in court again next month.

The Will County state’s attorney’s office filed “the strongest [property damage] felony charge possible under Illinois law,” according to a statement regarding the case. If he’s convicted, Garcia faces up to six years in prison and a maximum fine of $25,000.

In 1999, State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow authored a statute that made the abuse of an animal a felony for the first time in Illinois history.

It’s unfortunate his office did not file the strongest animal cruelty charge possible in Garcia’s case. “When or if additional evidence becomes available, the state’s attorney’s office will review the case and give all due consideration to filing additional charges,” the statement said.

An online petition urging Garcia to be charged with animal cruelty has more than 119,000 signatures as of Aug. 17.

Photo via Patch.com

Idiot Who Did Donuts on Frozen River Indicted for Drowning of Dog

In the early hours of March 1, Andrew Mayer of Toms River, N.J., somehow thought it was a good idea to drive his truck out to the middle of the frozen Toms River and do donuts (drive around in tight circles). He brought along Rolo, his 2-year-old Boxer/Lab mix.

When his truck crashed through the ice, Mayer managed to crawl out of it, but he could not pull Rolo from the cab.

The U.S. Coast Guard, New Jersey State Police, local police and other responders spent 10 hours — and hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayers’ money — searching for the truck. They finally found it the next morning, with Rolo’s body inside.

In addition to criminal mischief, careless driving and pollution charges, the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NJ SPCA) charged Mayer with one count of third-degree failure to provide proper care by recklessly endangering an animal’s life.

Today, four months after Rolo’s death, Mayer was indicted for third-degree animal cruelty in the death of his dog and third-degree criminal mischief for causing a substantial interruption in public emergency services, according to a news release from the Ocean County prosecutor’s office.

His acts “purposely, knowingly or recklessly failed to provide necessary care for and protection of his dog, Rolo, from harm by driving his pickup truck onto the frozen Toms River, and as a result, the vehicle cracked through the ice and his dog died,” the news release states.

“Mayer then failed to notify authorities of this incident when he got safely to shore, resulting in a huge rescue operation that took place for hours involving the United States Coast Guard’s aviation unit, the New Jersey State Police aviation unit, NJ State Police/local marine units, multiple local police departments, fire companies and first aid squads from Toms River, Beachwood, Pine Beach and Island Heights.”

The most Mayer faces is up to five years in state prison for each charge.

Mayer’s supporters insisted he did his best to get Rolo out of the truck.

“He did almost kill himself trying to save his dog,” his cousin’s fiancée, Helecia Morris, told NJ.com March 3. “He’s completely devastated. His truck, his dog — everything is in this bay.”

One week later, the Asbury Park Press reported that Mayer appeared in a Toms River municipal courtroom, where Judge Damian G. Murray read the charges against him.

At that time the judge offered Mayer a public defender, but just as Mayer had made the brilliant decision to do donuts on a frozen river, he decided he will instead represent himself in court.

“Just so you understand, you have third-degree charges against you, which could carry substantial penalties in these matters, as well as a criminal history that could follow you for a considerable period of time,” Murray warned him, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Along with that criminal history, Mayer has had 14 traffic violations and 12 suspensions of his driver’s license.

No, Mayer insisted, he would “absolutely” represent himself. The prosecuting attorney will be Ocean County Assistant Prosecutor Heidi Tannenbaum-Newman.

Mayer was released today on his own recognizance to appear in court on a future date, according to the Ocean County prosecutor’s office.

Photos via Twitter; Twitter

Atlanta Falcons Dump Player Charged with Killing Girlfriend’s Yorkie

AUG. 14, 2015 UPDATE: Prince Shembo’s felony charge for killing Dior was reduced to a misdemeanor, so the Atlanta Falcons are considering welcoming him back to the team.

Within a couple of hours after Atlanta Falcons player Prince Shembo was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals for killing his girlfriend’s dog, the team let the loser linebacker go.

“We are aware of the charges that have been filed against Prince Shembo,” the Falcons said this afternoon in a statement. “We are extremely disappointed that one of our players is involved in something like this. Accordingly, we have decided to waive Prince Shembo.”

On April 19, Denicia Williams, Shembo’s then-girlfriend, told police she had left Dior, her Yorkshire Terrier, with Shembo. When she returned to Shembo’s apartment, the dog was unresponsive. Dior died a short time later at a local animal hospital.

Williams said Shembo told her the next day that he had kicked the dog. (Shembo weighs 260 pounds; a Yorkie typically weighs about 7 pounds.) Williams wisely ended the relationship.

According to the police report, a necropsy revealed that little Dior had suffered a litany of horrific injuries: a fractured rib; fractured liver; abdominal hemorrhage; thoracic hemorrhage; extensive bruising and hemorrhage in the muscles in her front leg and shoulders; head trauma; hemorrhage and edema in her lungs; hemorrhage between her esophagus and trachea; and hemorrhage in the her left eye.

The cause of her death was blunt force trauma.

After posting $15,000 bail, Shembo was released from jail late Friday evening.

His attorney, Jerry Froelich, told reporters his client was in tears over the arrest and had kicked Dior only because the dog bit him, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

“He didn’t mean to kill him,” Froelich said. (As I previously mentioned, Shembo weighs 260 pounds; a Yorkie typically weighs about 7 pounds.)

Shembo is not the only NFL player currently facing felony dog abuse charges.

Terence Cody, who was dropped from the Baltimore Ravens, is facing felony charges of intentionally torturing and cruelly killing his dog Taz, a Presa Canarios Mastiff. He is also charged with inflicting unnecessary suffering or pain on his dog; not providing his dog with nutritious food in sufficiency quantity; not providing proper drink; not providing proper space; and not providing necessary veterinary care. His court date has been scheduled for August 11.

Dwight Jones, a former wide receiver for the New York Jets, was charged last month with felony animal cruelty for letting one of his Pit Bull mixes starve to death. He has not yet been assigned a court date.

Photos: Thomson200; Gwinnett County Police Department

No Jail Time for Loser Who Used Cabela for Fighting Purposes

Earlier this year, Kenny Bell of Tampa, Fla., bought a Pit Bull mix, later named Cabela, to participate in dog fights at his house. But when Cabela proved to be a lover, not a fighter, Bell ordered Natwan Callaway and Bobby Hollinger, both 17, to get rid of her. Callaway shot Cabela three times and tied her to railroad tracks.

In court today, Bell pleaded guilty to possessing a dog for dog-fighting purposes. He barely got a slap on the wrist from the judge.

In a deal reached with the Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office, Bell was sentenced to 48 months probation (for which he’s eligible for release in just two years), 150 hours of community service and ordered to pay up to $1,000 in restitution to Tampa Bay Veterinary Emergency Services (TBVES), ABC Action News reports. He cannot own an animal — but only while he’s on probation..

“For the record, I just want to state that I’m sorry about what happened to the dog Cabela,” Bell told the judge. “I never planned for that to happen. I never thought nothing like that would happen to the dog.”

Bell’s attorney told ABC Action News that his client has been getting lots of hate mail in jail and has been “wrongly characterized.” In other words, shame on the media for its negative portrayal of someone who makes a living fighting dogs to the death!

Bell was the first of four defendants to go to trial in Cabela’s case. Callaway, who confessed to shooting her, will be tried as an adult in August. He’s facing felony charges of aggravated cruelty to animals and armed trespassing, and misdemeanor charges of abandonment of an animal and being a minor in possession of a firearm. The 17-year-old has a rap sheet going back three years that includes robbery, burglary and grand theft, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

“Enjoy your time in a cage, where you will still be treated better than you ever treated her and the other dogs,” wrote TBVES on its Facebook page in March. “She is sure the other inmates will be impressed with your high level of sophistication and the cruelty of your actions! Have a great life, she certainly is on to better things!”

That’s for sure. Ever since Cabela was rescued by Tampa police officers Nick Wilson and Sgt. R. Mills as a train was approaching, the sweet Pit Bull mix has made a remarkable recovery.

TBVES announced on its Facebook page today that although adoption offers have poured in from as far away as Sweden, Cabela has been officially adopted by one of the volunteers who worked with her. She will serve as an ambassador for the clinic that helped save her life.

Photos via Facebook

Abused Puppy Thrown in L.A. River Makes an Amazing Recovery (VIDEO)

It’s really a miracle that a horrifically abused puppy named Jordan is alive today.

Someone saw the puppy being thrown 30 feet into a concrete portion of the Los Angeles River. The eyewitness contacted L.A. on Cloud 9, a local charity that helps homeless people and their pets.

That group contacted Hope for Paws, which made a video of its rescue of the starved, mange-covered puppy from the riverbed.

“Oh my god,” gasps Eldad Hagar, founder of the non-profit, as he lifts the frail puppy into his arms. “Someone literally cut off his foot.”

Hagar gently puts the puppy in a basket, and volunteers raise him to street level. On the way to an animal hospital, Hagar names the puppy Jordan.

The hospital staff bandaged Jordan’s rear leg and gave him a bath. He received a blood transfusion from Laila, a dog Hope for Paws had rescued earlier that week.

Four days later, Jordan was strong enough to have surgery on his leg. Unfortunately, it had to be amputated.

Jordan was released from the hospital and began to thrive at the home of his loving foster mom, Lisa Chiarelli. His fur-legged foster sisters, Lola and Frankie, were also happy to look after him.

After a few weeks of physical therapy, you’d never know that Jordan has fewer than four legs. The small pup has no problem keeping up with his big (literally) sisters.

“Though Jordan lost his leg, he never lost HOPE,” reads a title on Hagar’s video of the puppy’s amazing recovery.

Hope for Paws is asking for a $5 donation; click here to help them make more miracles come true. Remember the viral 2012 video of a matted, blind Poodle named Fiona getting an amazing makeover? That was also the work of Hope for Paws.

Be warned that parts of this video are very graphic and difficult to watch. A longer, 9-minute version can be viewed on the Hope for Paws website.

Photos via YouTube