Seven dogs abandoned while owner in jail
Medina, OH (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, Sep 17, 2008
County: Medina

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Mary Terhune

A 61-year-old Medina woman sent to jail on theft charges is also facing animal neglect and abandonment charges.

Mary Terhune is accused of leaving her seven dogs alone in her Dawn Court apartment without food or water for up to 13 days, while she was at the Medina County Jail Sept. 4 through Wednesday.

The charges are second-degree misdemeanors. Each has a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail and a $750 fine.

Attorney Jeff Holland, representing the Medina County SPCA, said this wasn't the first time Terhune had left her dogs unattended for days. "She did the same thing the last time she was in jail," he said.

The SPCA's humane officer learned of Terhune's arrest this time and monitored the dogs after getting a search warrant. Once Penny Blake documented that the dogs weren't being cared for, she stepped in and fed them, Holland said.

Terhune's lengthy criminal record in Medina County began with petty theft in 1993.

References

• « OH State Animal Cruelty Map

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