Thanks to the report on the Animal Legal Defense Fund website, I just found out about a case that is currently in court proceedings here in Orlando, FL. In May 2008, two Siberian Huskies were found on a ranch in Orange County supposedly bothering a calf, or a herd of cows. A passer-by, Christopher M. Comins, saw the dogs and repeatedly shot them, even when one had fallen and the other one was no longer around the cows. The owner was also not far away and not long after the shooting began, he ran up to the shooter to plead with him to cease fire. There were many witnesses, including one who shot a video. That video can be seen here. Luckily, both of the dogs survived, but one did lose an eye. The trial is finally going to court, with the trial on March 16 and the hearing on April 3, both at the Orange County Circuit Court in Orlando, FL. Comins is charged with two counts of 3rd degree felony for animal cruelty, which is the strongest charge against animal cruelty in the state of Florida. According to Statute 828.12, he is facing a maximum penalty of 5 years and/or a fine of up to $10,000. Of course, he is being charged with two counts.
Normally, animal cruelty cases are not treated as seriously as they should be, and I don't think I've ever heard of someone being sentenced with the full 5 years of confinement. However, due to the shocking video, exactly what happened is readily available, and I believe he is much more likely because of it to receive a high penalty. Let's hope he does.
To read the article on the Animal Legal Defense Fund website, click here.
Furthermore, the 2 dogs, Hoochie and Raley, have their own Dogster (like a myspace for dogs) pages, which you can view here:
Raley: http://www.dogster.com/dogs/797665
Hoochie: http://www.dogster.com/dogs/797639
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Though this may seem like ages ago, the shooter Chris Comins is finally going to trial for multiple counts of felony animal cruelty. The next scheduled court date is April 8, 2010 at 10AM.
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