Kinship Circle: DUE 10/8: No Plea Deal For Poisoning Dogs
September 28th, 2008 9:16 pm by Kelly Garbato———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Date: Fri, Sep 26, 2008 at 6:47 PM
Subject: DUE 10/8: No Plea Deal For Poisoning Dogs
KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY – PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST AS WRITTEN
**Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 9, 2008 in Jefferson County Circuit Court. Please send comments before this date.
9/26/08: No Plea Deal For Poisoning Dogs
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Jefferson County District Attorney Peter L. Deuel
Jefferson County Courthouse
75 SE C Street, Suite B / Madras, Oregon 97741
ph: 541-475-4452; fax: 541-475-4512
email: peter.deuel [at] co.jefferson.or.us
COPY COMMENTS TO:
Jefferson County Administrative Offices
66 SE D Street / Madras, Oregon 97741
ph: 541-475-2449; Fax: 541-475-4454.
Mike Ahern, Commissioner: Commissioner [at] co.jefferson.or.us
John Hatfield, Commissioner: Commissioner [at] co.jefferson.or.us
Bill Bellamy, Chair: Commissioner [at] co.jefferson.or.us
Crooked River Ranch Administration Office
ph: 541-548-8939 or 800-637-5435; fax: 541-548-0278
email: info [at] crookedriverranch.com
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SAMPLE LETTER — This letter is prepared to inform you about the issue.
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Dear Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office and Commissioners:
I am dismayed that a case of aggravated animal abuse may result in probation for Crooked River Ranch resident Alan Whitacre. I understand Whitacre, 68, accepted a plea deal for the 2007 poisoning of his neighbor Ken Schmidt’s dogs, Timber and Topaz. Whitacre allegedly gave the dogs meat laced with razor blades and fishhooks and peanut butter saturated in drain cleaner.
With the subsequent death of Topaz, Whitacre faced one count of felony aggravated animal abuse plus six misdemeanor counts of attempted aggravated animal abuse. In a final photo before her euthanasia, Topaz’s exposed ribs revealed the severity of her suffering.
Yet the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office opted to bring back a plea offer that may land Whitacre some probation, restitution for veterinary bills, and limited local jail time. I respectfully urge you to forego plea bargains and lenient punishment. Please advocate maximum penalties for all counts of felony and misdemeanor animal abuse. Whitacre ought to undergo anger management counseling and be barred from contact with animals.
Whitacre claimed that after complaints to Schmidt and Jefferson County animal control, the dogs’ continued barking caused him to “snap.” Annoyed citizens, however, have no legal right to poison, maim and kill dogs. “A law enforcement officer or any other police, sheriff or dog control officer” cites a keeper or impounds any dog who causes a “Public Nuisance” as described under Jefferson County Ordinances (6.04.090 Public nuisance dogs).
Furthermore, violence against animals is a well-documented precursor to violence against humans — particularly vulnerable victims such as children, women or the elderly. Animal cruelty investigations often uncover domestic violence or other signs of a troubled family, P. Arkow notes in “Breaking the cycles of violence: A guide to multi-disciplinary interventions.”
ASPCA’s Randall Lockwood, Ph.D., notes that perpetrators who project blame onto their animal victims, tend to be “repeat offenders, less likely to take responsibility for their actions.”
Deliberately poisoning two companion animals qualifies as abuse. Thank you for holding animal abusers accountable for their crimes.
Sincerely,
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SOURCE OF INFORMATION / REFERENCE LINKS
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Investigative and background research assistance:
Terri Kelley, Kinship Circle, Disaster Aid & Animal Cruelty Investigative Research
Plea deal settles fatal CRR animal abuse case
www.ktvz.com/Global/story.asp?S=8989343
Jefferson County Code, Title 6 ANIMALS
www.codepublishing.com/OR/JeffersonCounty/
CRR dog owners hope to catch suspect on tape
www.ktvz.com/Global/story.asp?S=7562726
Dogs burned with lye, poisoned / Crooked River Ranch, OR (US)
www.pet-abuse.com/cases/11242/OR/US/
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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts kinship circle brenda shoss animal abuse animal cruelty cruelty to animals dog canine pet companion animal Crooked River Ranch Alan Whitacre Topaz jefferson county Madras Oregon news in the news timber Ken Schmidt
