Latest news with #justiceforpets
CBS News
19-06-2025
- CBS News
Pet parents rally outside Allegheny County Courthouse as funeral home director accused in cremains case waives arraignment
Patrick Vereb, the funeral director who's accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from pet owners for pet cremations that were never done, waived his arraignment, but that didn't stop many of his victims from gathering outside the Allegheny County Courthouse on Wednesday. Holding pictures of their beloved pets, victims called Vereb a coward for not showing up for his arraignment. They said they're not backing down and vowed to be at every hearing and court appearance he has until justice is served. "We will never forgive him for the pain he caused us," victim Linda Packard said. Linda and her husband Jack are just a few of the pet parents who gathered outside the courthouse to send a message to the man they call "evil." "He was evil to do all this to us. It's like we lost her again. It was a gut punch, really," Linda Packard said. (Photo: KDKA) The Packards' beloved companion Lucy Bella is one of thousands of dog and cat remains that were allegedly dumped in a landfill by Vereb after their owners paid for cremation and burial. According to the attorney general's office, Vereb then provided the pet owners with ashes of other animals. "Emotionally, it's very heartbreaking. When you put your trust in somebody that you think they're gonna do the right thing and they don't, it breaks your trust in humanity," victim Rhonda Sciore said. Sciore has found comfort in the other victims who gathered on Wednesday. She says they've formed a bond through a shared tragedy that can never be broken. While they're united in the quest for justice, she stresses it's more than just making sure Vereb pays for the pain he's accused of causing. It's about strengthening the laws that protect animals. "I will fight for the protection and the ethical treatment for them. Unless you have an animal that becomes part of your heart, you probably won't understand. Boomer was my baby," Sciore said. The next step in Vereb's case will be a pretrial conference next month.
CBS News
09-06-2025
- CBS News
Dearborn Heights man accused of killing woman's 3-year-old chihuahua
A Dearborn Heights man is accused of stomping on the neck of a 3-year-old chihuahua and killing it. Wayne County prosecutors say the incident happened around midnight on May 24 at a home on the 4500 block of Fleming Street in Dearborn Heights. Prosecutors allege that Haseeb J. Habeeb, 54, stomped on the neck of a 45-year-old woman's chihuahua, killing the dog. Habbeb was arrested by Dearborn Heights police later that same day. He is charged with one count of second-degree killing/torturing of an animal and one count of abandoning/cruelty to an animal. Habbeb was arraigned on May 28 and given a $300 bond. He is back in court on June 11 for a probable cause conference.
CBS News
29-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Owner of dog mauled on Upper West Side blames lack of enforcement for attack
A small dog is still recovering after being mauled by larger dogs in Manhattan earlier this month. CBS News New York has learned it's possible the attack could have been prevented. It has been nearly a month since Lauren Claus' dog, Penny, was viciously attacked on the Upper West Side by two large dogs. "This process has been extremely frustrating. I've learned a lot in the past month about how much this city doesn't really seem to care about the welfare of dogs and how willing they are to sort of cast aside somebody," Claus said. She said her mission to get justice for her 10-year-old Chihuahua mix has been hitting brick walls, as the law says pets are considered property. "That's disgusting to me. That's absolutely disgusting to me," Claus said. The March 5 order by the NYC Department of Health Claus also learned that back on March 5 the city's Department of Health ordered the owner of the aggressive animals to keep his dogs muzzled and on tight leashes, after both were involved in a fatal attack in Central Park in January. Claus said that order was not in compliance the day Penny was attacked earlier this month. "If they had acted on the violation of the order, this never would have happened to Penny, because he would have been in violation. And under that misdemeanor, his dogs could have been seized, without question," Claus said. A week after Penny was attacked, hundreds of people poured into a packed room with deep concerns, saying the two dogs involved in Penny's attack have been a constant problem. They met with police, the Department of Health, and local leaders, including City Councilwoman Gale Brewer, who just found out about the Department of Health's order from CBS News New York on Wednesday. "I was livid. I didn't know a thing about it," Brewer said. "Thank you for bringing it to our attention. Nobody shared this information, even at the meeting. The Police Department and the Health Department need to work together to have these dogs muzzled on a leash or off the streets." Dog owner in question was hit with summonses The Health Department says it followed up on the order twice in March, giving the dog owner two separate summons for a $1,000 fine after learning the owner didn't muzzle the dogs. It would only say now that the investigation is ongoing. For now, Claus is continuing the fight for her dog. She said she thinks about what happened and the aftermath "every day, every time I look at her," adding, "I'm working on her case all the time. It has become a second job for me." She said she hopes a bill in Albany called "Penny's Law," designed to hold dog owners accountable for their pets' actions, will pass. She said she is starting a petition to get city leaders on board. "We're really asking the city to pay attention and actually prosecute crimes that are clear crimes. But this is something that's actionable, that we can actually move on, and we're not sure why," Claus said.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
Kids Screamed as Their Mom's Boyfriend Beat a Puppy to Death. When Cops Arrived, All They Found Was a Bloody Hammer
A woman's children heard her boyfriend allegedly beat a puppy to death at their Ohio home on May 5 The boyfriend, Jimmy Wiggins Jr., fled the scene, but cops soon discovered him clinging to a tree branch in a nearby river, and a bloody hammer was found at the scene — but the puppy's body was never recovered Wiggins and his girlfriend, Gretchen Howard, were both booked into jail on May 7 and face several charges, including two counts each of endangering children After his girlfriend's children allegedly heard him brutally murder a puppy, a man fled to a nearby river to hide from authorities. The incident, which Erie County Sheriff Paul Sigsworth described as 'sickening,' occurred at a home in Milan Township, Ohio, on May 5, according to CBS affiliate Cleveland 19 News. Deputies arrived at the home after a 911 call reported hearing a man kill a puppy, triggering an 'onslaught of screaming from family members as a result,' the Erie County Sheriff's Office (ECSO) told the outlet. The deputies quickly discovered an 'extremely distraught' girl outside of the home, and she told them that her mom's live-in boyfriend had killed a puppy and fled, police alleged. The girl and a second child told police that the boyfriend, Jimmy Wiggins Jr., threatened to choke the puppy, whom the outlet identified as Hank, just before he allegedly bludgeoned him to death. 'What one of the children described was Jimmy threatening to strangle Hank, and then he heard Hank screaming like a puppy would scream, and they heard an impact,' Sigsworth told Cleveland 19 News. The children claimed to have seen Hank dead inside the bathroom, but the puppy's body was gone by the time they arrived, the ECSO told the outlet. Wiggins, 46, was also gone, allegedly leaving behind just a bloody hammer and a bottle of peroxide, which the kids said he used to wash his hands. Meanwhile, the children's mother, 42-year-old Gretchen Howard, was at the home, which the ECSO said was 'in complete disarray, smelled strongly of animal feces/urine and was basically uninhabitable due to the deplorable conditions,' per Cleveland 19 News. Howard spoke with officers but was unintelligible, police said. While searching the surrounding area for Wiggins, deputies found footprints, which they followed to the river behind the home. There, they then heard sticks breaking and a splash, the ECSO said. With the help of additional first responders and a drone, deputies were able to locate Wiggins, who was partially submerged in the water and holding on to a tree branch. He was subsequently taken into custody, along with Howard — who, just hours earlier, was allegedly found in possession of a crystallized substance during a traffic stop, Cleveland 19 News reported. Wiggins was with her during the stop, and was driving without a license, per the outlet. During a sweep of the home, deputies also found 'an influx of narcotics, most notably methamphetamine and/or paraphernalia/instruments in plain view,' per the ECSO. After Wiggins was found, all of the items were seized as evidence. The Erie County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Saturday, May 10. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Wiggins and Howard were both booked into jail on May 7, and their bonds were set at $50,000 and $20,000, respectively, according to jail records viewed by PEOPLE. It was not immediately clear if they have retained legal representation to comment on their behalf. Wiggins was charged with two counts of endangering children, and one count each of tampering with evidence, cruelty to animals and obstructing official business. Howard also faces two charges of endangering children, and one count of obstructing official business. They are both set to appear in court later this month — Howard on May 12 and Wiggins on May 16. Howard's two children are in the permanent custody of Erie County Job and Family Services, the ECSO told Cleveland 19 News. Another puppy, Mud, who was recovered at the scene, was relocated to another home, the outlet reported. Read the original article on People
