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Case ID: 14890
Classification: Beating
Animal: dog (non pit-bull)
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Attorneys/Judges
Defense(s): Gina Yamartino




Dog brutally beaten
Sanford, ME (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Aug 9, 2008
County: York

Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: George L. Mellen

As its former owner awaits trial on an aggravated animal cruelty charge, a white German shepherd has recovered from injuries it suffered in a brutal beating Aug. 9 in Sanford and is now living with a new owner.

A York County grand jury indicted George L. Mellen, 52, of Main Street, on the animal-cruelty charge on Nov. 4. Mellen also faces charges of terrorizing and refusing to submit to arrest in conjunction with the same Aug. 9 incident, for allegedly struggling with officers who responded and for threatening violence against a man at the scene.

Sanford Police officer Craig Sanford detailed last week how officers became involved.

"I guess someone in his building or his area was concerned about the dog," he said.

Sanford didn't know if the man Mellen allegedly threatened had phoned in the tip. Sanford described the dog, known as Crackers, as large and white, which made the injuries it suffered even ghastlier.

"There was a lot of blood on its white coat, which kind of stuck out," said Sanford. "The eyes were swollen shut, and there were visible wounds on the top of its head."

Sanford said Mellen had a prior record and the department had received several complaints about the man and his dog, though he couldn't furnish specifics. At the scene on Aug. 9, however, Mellen would not submit to being arrested, according to police.

"When the officers tried to take him into custody, he became physical," said Sanford.

"He was clutching the porch railing and refusing to put his hands behind his back," said Sanford Police Deputy Chief Gordon Littlefield.

Littlefield explained that Crackers was taken to a veterinarian, and an ex parte order (decided by a judge without requiring all of the parties to the controversy to be present) was granted that gave custody of the canine to the town of Sanford. Crackers was then taken to a shelter and custody was transferred there.

Mellen's attorney, Gina Yamartino, of Portland, said that there could be extenuating circumstances in the case.

"There is a fair amount of evidence to be received by me," Yamartino said. "Mr. Mellen has had a life filled with tragedy and trauma."

According to court documents, Mellen was transported to a drug-treatment center on Oct. 30 for screening, and he had entered no plea yet to the charges. A judge denied Mellen's request for a court-appointed attorney after finding he was not indigent and had sufficient income.

As for Crackers, his situation has improved dramatically.

"He was actually placed for adoption," said shelter manager Bobbi Allen, who works at the Animal Welfare Society Inc. in West Kennebunk.

Allen said she could not release the name of the dog's new owner, who adopted Crackers on Oct. 27, but she described the recovery process as the German shepherd healed and began to trust people again during his two-and-a-half months at the shelter.

"He had several lacerations on his head," she recalled. "He was underweight."

After a course of antibiotics and plenty of care from workers at the shelter, Crackers began to improve.

"He was very affectionate with our staff," Allen said. "It took him a while to warm up to (other) people."

References

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