Latest news with #Goddard'sLaw
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Cat abandoned in Garfield Heights home went weeks without food, water; ate insulation to ‘stay alive,' police say
[Watch in the player above: What is Goddard's Law?] GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio (WJW) — Charges are pending against a tenant suspected of abandoning a cat inside an East 90th Street home after being evicted, leaving her without food or water for several weeks. Rescue workers who treated the female tabby told police she was severely underweight, dehydrated and emaciated and would have died within days had they not intervened, according to a Garfield Heights police report. Ohio school board makes unanimous decision to suspend high school Veterinarians found 'non-food items' in Jenna Anne's gastrointestinal tract, according to the report. She appeared to have been 'eating insulation from the walls to stay alive,' it reads. She weighed just less than 4 pounds when she was brought in, and had kidney issues, veterinary records show. The tenant was ordered to leave the home on March 28, or be removed by authorities on March 31, according to an eviction filing in a Garfield Heights court. A neighbor on May 24 told police that the cat could still be seen in the window, though the home had long been unoccupied, reads the report. That day, Euclid Beach Cat Project workers responded to the home and used a trap to catch the cat, according to the report. The rescue is now seeking donations for Jenna Anne's treatment, which could include surgeries, according to a Facebook post. 'She's got some light in her eyes. She's gonna be OK, if she doesn't backslide,' said Vicky Sprouse, Euclid Beach Cat Project director. World's largest rubber duck to waddle into Ohio this weekend Sprouse said the cat naturally passed the inedible things that were in her belly, believed to be peanut shells and pieces of popcorn, and rescue workers don't suspect the cat was actually eating insulation. 'Right now, every day is a little bit better for her,' Sprouse added, crediting the neighbor who made the police report with saving Jenna Anne's life. 'She 100% did not have any more time left. I don't know how she's alive,' she said. Charges are now pending against the cat's owner, a spokesperson for the Garfield Heights prosecutor told FOX 8 News. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Local man accused of brutally stabbing puppy pleads not guilty
SANDUSKY, Ohio (WJW) — The man accused of brutally stabbing a puppy in Sandusky County pleaded not guilty to felony animal cruelty charges on Thursday morning. Many across the viewing area are outraged and concerned after the suspect was released following just one day in jail. Mike Smeck and Nitro's Ohio Army are pushing for change in Sandusky after the disturbing case of animal cruelty came to light on May 21. 'We want stiffer penalties,' Smeck said. 'You know, people get by with just a slap on the wrist. That's not deterring people from abusing animals.' Verdict in on Brandon King's corruption charges Terry Thomas, 41, was set to appear in court on Thursday. He is accused of viciously stabbing his pit bull puppy, Ivy, in the face after the dog had an accident inside the house. The 8-month-old puppy suffered serious lacerations to her face, extending from her ear to her jaw. Part of her ear was also missing. Thomas is facing felony animal cruelty charges under Goddard's Law (F5). He was not present in Judge Erich O'Brien's courtroom but pleaded not guilty through his public defender. A preliminary hearing has not been set. 'I don't see this getting delayed very long,' O'Brien said. 'I would anticipate it getting reset fairly quickly. Exactly when, that's going to kind of depend upon my assignment clerk, but hopefully sooner rather than later. But once again, him physically not being here isn't a big deal. As I tell people, I need the lawyer. I didn't need him.' FOX 8 has learned that Thomas has a violent criminal history, including prior animal-related offenses dating back to 2021. A misdemeanor animal cruelty case in 2022 was set for trial but never moved forward. He has also served time in prison for robbery, domestic violence, drug possession and other offenses. Thomas was released after O'Brien issued a recognizance bond. Ohio troopers nab speeders going nearly double the limit 'Due to a serious medical condition, that's the reason his bond was adjusted,' O'Brien said. The Friendship Animal Protective League said Ivy is thankfully recovering after life-saving emergency surgery. 'Her foster says she is giving kisses, allowing belly rubs and loves to be held like a baby. She is super sweet and smart. Her stitches came out today as well,' Shelby Dowdell, communications and public relations manager for the Friendship APL, said. Still, Nitro's Ohio Army wants change—specifically for Thomas' bond conditions to include a restriction that he not have a companion animal. 'I don't see why I can't make it a condition of his bond,' O'Brien said. 'Let me review that. If I haven't, then I certainly will.' Thomas' next court proceeding is expected to be scheduled within the next 15 days. FOX 8 will continue to follow this story closely. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Couple enter guilty pleas in animal abuse case: I-Team
[Attached video: Previous I-Team coverage of the story] CLEVELAND (WJW) — Two defendants entered guilty pleas Wednesday to a charge of cruelty against companion animals, also known as Goddard's Law. Bond set at $2 million as Aliza Sherman's alleged killer appears in court: I-Team 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. How to submit a public comment on Ohio's E-Check Ease Act 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. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Local humane agents give health update on puppy that was brutally stabbed
LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio (WJW) – It was a gruesome act of violence against a helpless animal. 'It's one of the most brutal attacks I've seen,' said Greg Willey, executive director of the Friendship Animal Protective League. Willey said an 8-month-old pit bull named Ivy is still heavily medicated, timid and unable to walk on her own two days after undergoing life-saving surgery at Northview Animal Clinic in Ridgeville. She suffered wounds allegedly caused by her owner, 41-year-old Terry Thomas, of Sandusky. The 45-pound pup had extensive facial lacerations from her right ear to her jaw. Her faced was sliced open with part of her ear missing. Examining Perrysburg Schools' identity fraud case through a legal lens The weapon used, Willey said, was possibly a knife with plastic handle. 'This is a person who was having some king of mental health crisis and was at large and had a knife and had done this to an animal,' Willey said. This case, experts said, is a grim reminder that animal abuse cases are on the rise. Willey said their humane cases made up 6-8% of their intakes just three years ago. That number has now jumped significantly to more than 23%. 'We are seeing just massive increases in the number of cases year over year,' Willey said. Humane officers said it was Thomas who brought the puppy in to get checked out last Saturday, reportedly telling the authorities the dog was being punished for defecating on the floor. He was released from the Erie County jail on his recognizance, and under Goddard's Law, he's now facing charges of animal cruelty — a felony of the fifth degree. Wayne Dawson declared cancer-free after treatment Thomas will be back before a judge on May 29, where he is expected to make a plea. He faces up to a year in prison and a $2,500 fine if convicted. Humane officers said he agreed to sign the dog over to the APL. The puppy is expected to be released this evening into the temporary foster care of the veterinarian who helped save her life. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘Outraged': Cats thrown from truck onto local highway
AKRON, Ohio (WJW) — Police are welcoming any information that can help identify a driver accused of throwing cats onto a highway from his truck. The incident is alleged to have happened on Sunday, Mother's Day, in the southbound lanes of State Route 8 near Perkins Street. Man wanted for alleged rape and beating of elderly woman in Cleveland A witness, who did not want to be identified, told FOX 8 News she watched in horror but was driving a rideshare customer at the time and could not try to catch up with or follow the truck. Police said that the incident was posted to social media, an officer received a text, and then took it upon himself to check out the location. But it was already well after the fact. 'We didn't have a description of the individual. We didn't have a license plate, so the officer was just acting on the very initial information that we received,' Lt. Michael Murphy said. 'Our officer found two (deceased) kittens, one was on Route 8 south just before Perkins, and another was on Route 8 north just before Glenwood Avenue.' Man sentenced for fatal shooting during argument outside Akron apartment The social media post touched off a search in the area by readers, some of whom hoped to find any surviving cats. One surviving cat was found and taken to an animal hospital in Copley, where it was reported to have been treated for a badly injured, nearly severed tail. That cat is now being fostered by a local family. Murphy said if nothing else, the driver placed others in the vicinity at risk had they been swerving to miss the cats. But intentionally harming a companion animal is also a felony. The criminal consequences made more severe by Goddard's Law, named in honor of FOX 8's late meterologist and animal advocate Dick Goddard. 'Take the embarrassment': Cavs' Donovan Mitchell talks day after playoff elimination It has also triggered outrage on social media by people hoping the person responsible is caught. 'A lot of people can connect with pets, and seeing a pet harmed, seeing something like this happen, it affects a lot of people. You put yourself in the shoes of being an owner and having that relationship with your pet, so a lot of people are affected by this and outraged and rightfully so,' Murphy said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
