Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | Christopher Freeman | | Defense(s): | Frederick Miller | | Judge(s): | Stuart Schwartz |
CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #14850 Rating: 1.0 out of 5
Cat severely beaten, resulting in death
Middleton, WI (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Apr 12, 2008
County: Dane
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Jordache Ciaccio
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A Middleton man, already facing charges for breaking his former roommate's nose during a fight, has now been charged with causing such serious injuries to a cat in his girlfriend's care that the animal had to be euthanized.
Jordache Ciaccio, 26, was charged Tuesday with felony mistreatment of animals and felony bail jumping after fighting with the cat at the apartment where she and Ciaccio reside in Middleton.
According to the criminal complaint, the cat's owner came to pick up Buddy on Saturday afternoon and found him to be lethargic and bleeding from the eyes and ears. Ciaccio told Buddy's owner that he was trying to give the cat a bath when Buddy latched onto him with his claws and he had to hit him in the head to free himself.
Buddy was taken to the Veterinary Emergency Service clinic where a veterinarian said the cat was suffering from severe head and chest injuries, rib fractures and air in the chest and abdomen. "I've seen cats hit by cars that have looked better than this one," said Dr. Tristan Daugherty-Lieter. The vet said it would take some form of severe trauma such as stomping on the cat or throwing him against a wall to cause such severe injuries.
Police were called in to investigate and Ciaccio initially told police that when he tried to pull back the shower curtain, Buddy clawed and bit him. He admitted hitting Buddy on the head several times to get him to let go. Ciaccio also said he threw the cat out of the bathroom into the hallway, where Buddy hit the wall.
Dr. Daugherty-Lieter said throwing the cat may have been enough to cause the chest and rib injuries, but the head wounds had probably occurred separately, possibly caused by Ciaccio hitting Buddy's head against a hard object, such as the bathtub, counter or floor, the vet told police.
Buddy did not recover from those injuries and was euthanized on Monday, the complaint says.
Ciaccio was charged with substantial battery for attacking his then-roommate on Feb. 28 in their apartment on North Franklin Street, slugging him in the face and breaking his nose. Ciaccio was apparently miffed because he thought his roommate had entered his room and attacked him. "You are very lucky," he allegedly told his roommate. "It could have been worse."
Ciaccio was out on bail on that charge when he was arrested for attacking Buddy and charged with both mistreatment to animals and violating his bail in the earlier case. He was released on a signature bond after a court appearance Tuesday and ordered to have no contact with Buddy's owner, nor any animals, and not be in any residence where animals are present.
Case UpdatesA Madison man who caused such serious injuries to a cat his girlfriend was watching the animal had to be euthanized was put on two years probation Thursday, which he is likely to serve in Oklahoma.
According to the criminal complaint against Jordache Ciaccio, 27, he severely injured a cat named "Buddy" which was in the care of his girlfriend at her apartment in April.
When the cat's owner came to pick up Buddy, the cat was lethargic and bleeding from its eyes and ears. When the owner questioned Ciaccio about the injuries, Ciaccio told her the cat clawed him and latched onto him when he was giving Buddy a bath, and he had to hit Buddy in the head to get free.
But when Buddy was taken in for treatment, veterinarian Dr. Tristan Daugherty-Lieter said, "I've seen cats hit by cars that have looked better than this one."
Buddy was suffering from severe head and chest injuries and rib fractures and had air in his chest and abdomen, according to the criminal complaint filed against Ciaccio.
Daugherty-Lieter said throwing the cat against a wall might have been enough to cause the chest and rib injuries. The head wounds likely occurred at a different time, Daugherty-Lieter said, and could have been caused by Ciaccio hitting Buddy's head against a hard object, such as the bathtub, a counter or the floor. Buddy was so severely injured he was euthanized.
In February, Ciaccio was charged with substantial battery for breaking his then roommate's nose with a punch to the face.
When Ciaccio appeared in court for sentencing Thursday, Assistant District Attorney Christopher Freeman and defense attorney Frederick Miller made a joint recommendation that sentence be withheld and Ciaccio placed on two years probation. The recommendation said Ciacco should be allowed to serve the probationary period in Oklahoma. Ciaccio pleaded no contest to charges of substantial battery for hitting his then roommate and no contest to intentionally treating an animal in a cruel manner resulting in death.
Dane County Circuit Court Judge Stuart Schwartz accepted the recommendation and granted the probation period of two years. Schwartz said he had no objection to the probation being served in Oklahoma. As requested, he also ordered Ciaccio to have no contact with the former roommate or the cat owner, even though both have already obtained injunctions against Ciaccio which bar him from such contact.
However, if Ciaccio violates that condition of his probation, or any other, he could be brought back for another sentencing hearing and would face a combined maximum of seven and a half years of prison and time on extended supervision.
Ciaccio did not speak at Thursday's hearing, but Miller said before sentencing that Ciaccio still claimed he was bitten by Buddy before he did anything to the cat. | Source: The Capital Times - Nov 6, 2008
Update posted on Nov 6, 2008 - 11:46PM |
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