Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | Patricio Jimenez | | Judge(s): | Marianne Furfure, Joseph Latham |
CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #11949 Rating: 1.9 out of 5
Dog killed and dismembered
Savona, NY (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Jul 21, 2007
County: Steuben
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects:
» Jeremy A. James
» Jake A. Hoffman
Case Updates: 5 update(s) available
Two Steuben County men, accused of killing a 10-year-old cocker spaniel in July in Savona, are facing animal cruelty charges.
The Steuben County Sheriff's Office said Jeremy A. James, 25, of Eagle Valley Road in the town of Bath, and Jake A. Hoffman, 25, of Collier Avenue in Hornell, killed and dismembered the dog on July 21 behind a residence on Grove Street in Savona.
A Savona resident contacted a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals investigator about the incident, according to the release.
Both men were charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, a felony, and first-degree unlawfully dealing with a minor, a misdemeanor.
The misdemeanor charges were filed because the suspects are accused of supplying alcohol to minors on the night of the killing, police said.
James was arraigned in Urbana Town Court and sent to Steuben County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash bail or $20,000 property bond.
Hoffman was arraigned in Savona Town Court and sent to the county jail in lieu of $10,000 cash bail or $20,000 property bond.
Case UpdatesA man accused of killing and dismembering a dog last year in Steuben County will undergo six months of probation.
Jeremy James, 26, of Hornell was sentenced on Wednesday morning in Steuben County Court.
James pleaded guilty on May 14th to Aggravated Cruelty to Animals, a felony offense which carried a penalty of up to two years in state prison.
In July of 2007, authorities say James and Jake Hoffman, 26, also of Hornell, killed and dismembered a cocker spaniel owned by Hoffman's aunt at a home on Grove Street in Savona.
Hoffman was sentenced on August 1st to six months in jail and six months of probation.
James was given six months of probation because, according to Judge Marianne Furfure, a pre-sentencing report submitted by his lawyer indicated that he had made a turn-around in his behavior.
Furfure indicated before sentencing that James' experiences with alcohol and behavioral counseling, as well as maintaining steady employment and getting married, contributed to her decision to grant him a lighter sentence than his co-defendant. She also indicated that James had a criminal past and had been before her more than once in family court.
Aside from probationary and community service obligations, James will not be permitted to own any domestic animals, live with any domestic animals or work in an environment where animals reside for the remainder of the next six months.
He is scheduled to appear in Steuben County Court for his next hearing on February 1st, 2009. | Source: WETM - Aug 13, 2008
Update posted on Aug 13, 2008 - 9:11PM |
The Hornell man who killed and dismembered a dog will spend the next six months in jail. Jake Hoffman was sentenced Friday morning.
A Steuben County judge also barred him from having any pets and gave him 5 years probation. Hoffman mutilated a ten-year-old cocker spaniel last summer in Savona.
In April, a judge found him guilty of animal cruelty. He claimed he was drunk and didn't know what he was doing. | Source: WETM - Aug 1, 2008
Update posted on Aug 1, 2008 - 8:04PM |
A Hornell man charged with killing and mutilating a family pet in Savona last summer pleaded guilty to felony charges Wednesday, May 14.
Jeremy James, 26, pleaded guilty to aggravated animal cruelty before Steuben County Judge Marianne Furfure, according to Steuben County Assistant District Attorney Patricio Jimenez.
James' plea avoided the bench trial set for Furfure's court Thursday.
Police said James, and a friend, Jake A. Hoffman, 26, of Hornell, killed a Cocker Spaniel in a "depraved and sadistic manner" July 21, 2007, on Grove Street in Savona. The dog was owned by Hoffman's aunt.
The arrests followed a joint investigation by the sheriff's office and the county's animal cruelty investigator, after a Savona resident contacted the local SPCA.
Hoffman was found guilty on the same charges April 9 after a 1 1/2-day bench trial in front of Steuben County Judge Joseph Latham.
Although witnesses in Hoffman's trial implied James initiated the beating, Jimenez said James and Hoffman were considered accomplices.
"Legally, whose idea it was, is not relevant," Jimenez said.
Jimenez said no promises on sentencing were made in exchange for James' guilty plea.
Each man faces up to two years in state prison on the charges.
Hoffman is scheduled for sentencing at 9:30 a.m. June 16 in Latham's court. James' sentencing is set for 10:30 a.m. July 14 in front of Furfure. | Source: SteubenCourier.Com - May 25, 2008
Update posted on May 28, 2008 - 6:26PM |
A Steuben County man accused of mutilating a dog last August will have his fate decided by a Judge, not a jury.
A spokesperson for the Steuben County District Attorney's office said 25-year-old Jeremy James of Savona waived his rights to a jury trial.
In October, a Grand Jury indicted James and 26 year old Jake Hoffman of Hornell for dismembering a 10-year-old Cocker Spaniel.
The two men have been charged with animal cruelty.
Steuben County Deputies said they found the animal's remains in a vacant lot on Grove Street in the Village of Savona.
James goes on trial next month. | Source: WETM - Feb 27, 2008
Update posted on Feb 27, 2008 - 10:18PM |
Two men accused of killing and dismembering a dog in Savona in July pleaded not guilty to felony animal cruelty charges yesterday in Steuben County Court.
Jeremy A. James, 25, of Eagle Valley Road, Town of Bath, and Jake A. Hoffman, 25, of Collier Avenue in Hornell, entered the pleas during an arraignment before Judge Joseph W. Latham.
They are accused of killing a 10-year-old cocker spaniel on July 21 behind a home on Grove Street in Savona.
The two were indicted by a county grand jury in September on a felony charge of aggravated cruelty to animals. They also face charges of unlawfully dealing with a minor, a misdemeanor, for allegedly supplying alcohol to minors on the night the dog was killed.
Both are free under the county's pre-trial release program, a court spokeswoman said.
Latham scheduled a conference with lawyers in the case for Oct. 30. If convicted, both men could face up to four years in prison. | Source: Star-Gazette - Oct 17, 2007
Update posted on Oct 18, 2007 - 10:37AM |
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