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Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | Derek McClowry | | Defense(s): | Loren Souers Jr. | | Judge(s): | Mary Falvey |
CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #11809 Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Animal abandonment
Magnolia, OH (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Jul 15, 2007
County: Stark
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Melanie Szegedi
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
Police seized dozens of exotic animals from an Ohio woman who now faces cruelty charges.
Melanie Szegedi of Magnolia, Ohio, faces six counts of animal cruelty after animals allegedly were found in filthy conditions with too little water outside her home and inside a double-wide trailer, reported WEWS-TV in Akron, Ohio.
"I think she cares about animals. She's overwhelmed," said prosecutor Derek McLowry. "She doesn't have the time, resources or ability to take care of these animals."
Police investigated the conditions at Szegedi's home after she and her sister complained last week that someone killed their two bear cubs and might be planning to hurt their other animals.
The women took their pet lion Brutus, a goat and five puppies to Stump Hill Farm in Stark County, where a veterinarian examined the animals and gave them a clean bill of health, said Stump Hill Farm owner Cyndi Huntsman.
"The animals that we received aren't abused, as far as being cared for mentally or physically," Huntsman said.
The animals seized by police will remain at shelters, police said.
Case UpdatesOn October 12, 2007, Melanie Szegedi entered a plea of no contest for a lesser charge of abandoning animals. On the same date, Judge Mary Falvey sentenced Szegedi to 90 days in jail plus court costs, with jail time suspended for two years on the condition of good behavior for the single abandonment charge.
All other cruelty to animals charges were dropped.
Court records show that Szegedi's probation was successfully completed without incident.
Szegedi currently runs a bulldog rescue out of Canton, OH called Dakota's Dream Rescue. | Source: Stark County Municipal Court Records #2007CRB03591
Update posted on Apr 13, 2009 - 2:52PM |
A local woman is facing animal cruelty charges, accused of not properly caring for a lion, two peacocks and other animals she housed in a rural area.
The animals were removed from the property at 6617 Mottice Dr. SE, a place the operator called Lakota Kennel and Sanctuary.
"I want my animals back," Melanie Szegedi said. "I will fight to get them back. I never abused my animals. I took in abused animals and helped them get better."
Szegedi pleaded innocent to the six charges this week in Canton Municipal Court. A court hearing on the matter is scheduled for Wednesday.
"There were 26 dogs, three ferrets, five potbelly pigs, a raccoon, eight birds, 21 rats, a turtle," said Magnolia Police Chief Jeff Hager.
"There were quite a few aquariums that contained fish, there was only one alive. There is no question that she cared for the animals. It gets to the point where you take too many in and it is neither safe and it is no longer beneficial to the animals."
The charges accuse Szegedi of keeping a lion, a goat, two peacocks and two potbelly pigs in confinement without sufficient food and water. Authorities also say Szegedi had a raccoon and several dogs in confinement without providing proper exercise and fresh air. Several bears Szegedi had on the property died earlier this summer.
The group of animals were removed, some going to other care centers, including Stump Hill Farm in Perry Township.
Szegedi had been living at the home that with her sister, Linda Alexander of Canton, was buying on a land contract from James Miller, a Dellroy-area resident.
Szegedi and her sister say Miller wanted to evict them. The septic system on the property did not function properly, which brought bacteria into the well water, they said.
And Miller, they say, influenced the Magnolia police.
"What I did was foreclose on them," Miller said. "They hadn't made a payment in eight months. They were buying this place on land contract. They brought a bunch of animals there. They destroyed a $150,000 home and I am supposed to give them their money back? Sure."
Hager said his investigation into the "deplorable" conditions had no connection with any problem Szegedi or her sister were having with the property seller.
Regarding the animals that were removed, "she has a right a have a hearing to have the animals back," said Derek McClowry, an assistant prosecutor on the Canton Law Department staff. "If she request a hearing, we would present evidence to the judge that she should not have those animals back based on cruelty." | Source: Canton Repository - July 27, 2007
Update posted on Jul 27, 2007 - 6:55PM |
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