Couple enter guilty pleas in animal abuse case: I-Team
CLEVELAND (WJW) — Two defendants entered guilty pleas Wednesday to a charge of cruelty against companion animals, also known as Goddard's Law.
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Dazia Chuppa and Trevonte Epps entered the pleas during a hearing in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
Police say the two failed to take care of a dog, named Duke, that was in their custody.
The dog was found on Jan. 4 in Euclid. Duke was chained in a garage and had no food or water., police reports state. The two defendants told police the dog did not belong to them but had been in their garage for a few months.
Humane agents rushed him to a veterinarian, but due to his critical condition, officials say Duke had to be euthanized.
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More than a dozen animal activists held signs outside and inside the Cuyahoga County Justice Center during every pretrial. The protesters demanding justice for Duke.
Chuppa and Epps are scheduled to be sentenced at 9 a.m. June 12.
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