Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | Heather Robinson | | Defense(s): | Sam Shamansky | | Judge(s): | Harland H. Hale |
Fireman kills pets to save on boarding
Columbus, OH (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Dec 3, 2008
County: Franklin
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: David P. Santuomo
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
A Columbus firefighter admits that he took his two dogs to the basement, tied them up and blasted them with a rifle so he and a girlfriend could vacation without paying to board the animals.
"He said chunks of concrete were flying everywhere," Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Heather Robinson said.
"I think it was the thrill of the kill for him. He has shown no remorse for this."
Firefighter David P. Santuomo, 43, pleaded guilty yesterday [June 24, 2009] to two counts of animal cruelty and one count of possession of a criminal tool -- for taping a 2-liter plastic bottle onto the gun as a makeshift silencer.
He was convicted of "needlessly killing ... a companion animal" on Dec. 3, according to the charges filed 10 minutes before the hearing in Municipal Court. One dog was shot six times in the head.
Santuomo, who did not give a statement in court, will spend 90 days in jail, pay $4,500 to cover the cost of his investigation and serve five years' probation, Judge Harland H. Hale ruled.
"This is a travesty and abhorrent behavior to those in this community who work to save the lives of animals," said Jodi Buckman, executive director of the Capital Area Humane Society.
Santuomo adopted the two mixed-breed dogs from the humane society in January 2007.
Robinson said that Santuomo, of the Northwest Side, bragged to fellow firefighters about killing the dogs after he dumped the animals' carcasses in a trash bin behind his workplace, Fire Station 27, 7560 Smoky Row Rd.
"Fellow firefighters were disgusted by what he did, and the Capital Area Humane Society was called to investigate," Robinson said.
In text messages, he lied to his children and ex-wife about what happened to Sloopy and Skeeter, investigators said.
Santuomo, a firefighter since 1996, remains on active duty while awaiting a disciplinary hearing with Fire Chief Ned Pettus Jr.
According to Robinson, Santuomo laid down a plastic sheet in his basement and tied the dogs to a pipe, partially suspending their bodies. He shot them at least 11 times.
At first, he said the dogs were suffering after drinking antifreeze, but a necropsy proved that he lied, Robinson said.
The humane society would have taken the animals if Santuomo had asked, and two neighbors had offered to watch the dogs in his absence, Robinson said.
Hale also fined Santuomo $150 and ordered him to perform 200 hours of community service. He must not have pets or weapons in his house for five years and must undergo random home inspections.
Hale agreed to allow him to serve his jail time in 10-day stints over two years.
Defense attorney Sam Shamansky said Santuomo will obey Hale's order to file a formal apology with a national firefighters magazine and with a letter to readers of The Dispatch.
"This was an isolated event not to be repeated and totally out of character for him," Shamansky said after the hearing. "He is extremely remorseful."
In the courtroom, Santuomo raised a middle finger to the reporters assembled to cover his case.
Case UpdatesA former Columbus firefighter was back in court Tuesday after violating parts of his sentence for shooting and killing his pet dogs last year.
David Santuomo was found guilty of animal cruelty and other charges, after admitting to killing the dogs to avoid paying boarding costs while he took a cruise with his girlfriend.
The bodies of the dogs were found behind a Columbus fire station.
At his sentencing for those charges, a judge ordered Santuomo to perform 200 hours of community service and stop drinking.
He still has not completed the community service and was arrested for drunk driving, which is what landed him back in court again.
This time, he will spend 30 days in jail. | Source: nbc4.com - Aug 24, 2010
Update posted on Aug 25, 2010 - 3:01PM |
An Ohio firefighter sentenced to 90 days in jail for killing his dogs has now lost his fire department job.
Columbus Public Safety Director Mitchell Brown said Thursday that he has decided to terminate 43-year-old David Santuomo on the recommendation of the fire chief.
The firefighter pleaded guilty last month to three misdemeanors, including two animal cruelty counts. Prosecutors say Santuomo tied his two mixed-breed dogs to a pipe in his basement and shot them in December so he wouldn't have to put them up in a kennel while he went on vacation.
A spokesman had said the fire department received thousands of messages demanding that Santuomo be fired.
A message was left for Santuomo's attorney asking if his client would appeal the firing. | Source: Associated Press via Google News - July 16, 2009
Update posted on Jul 16, 2009 - 2:36PM |
It's apparently not easy to fire a Columbus firefighter.
Although there have been 282 disciplinary cases filed against firefighters since 1996, only nine firefighters have been terminated, with three of those firings overturned on appeal.
The most recent firing occurred in 2006.
But if the public had a vote, David Santuomo, a 13-year veteran of the Columbus Division of Fire, would be out of work right now.
Santuomo, of 2960 Essington Dr. on the Northwest Side, has faced a storm of criticism since pleading guilty Wednesday to charges of animal cruelty and possession of criminal tools in the shooting deaths of his two dogs in December.
Santuomo, who dumped the dogs' carcasses in a trash bin behind the Smoky Row Road firehouse where he works, admitted killing the animals so he could go on vacation without paying to board the animals.
Jack Reall, president of the local union that represents 1,514 firefighters, said he's received hundreds of phone calls and e-mails demanding that Santuomo be fired.
"It's very uncommon for a firefighter to get terminated," Reall said. "It is a long process."
But Reall noted that fellow firefighters have struggled with how Santuomo's actions have tainted their image.
"Our membership is hurt by the fact that we are being lumped in with behavior they see as inappropriate."
Fire Chief Ned Pettus Jr. and his staff have not yet received the file to begin investigating Santuomo's case and could not comment, a spokesman said.
The contract allows Pettus to discipline a firefighter with minor reprimands or time off, but Safety Director Mitchell Brown must make the decision on longer suspensions and termination.
Brown could not be reached for comment yesterday, and Santuomo declined to comment through his attorney, Sam Shamansky.
Municipal Judge Harland H. Hale sentenced Santuomo, 43, to 90 days in jail but said he could serve that time in 10-day stretches over two years so he can continue working.
Santuomo is banned from owning pets or guns during five years of probation, must pay a $150 fine and $4,500 in restitution to the Humane Society and a county relief fund, and will spend 200 hours cleaning up trash as community service. Santuomo also must write letters of apology to the public.
Santuomo had worked briefly as a Franklin County deputy and part-time Westerville firefighter before joining the Columbus Division of Fire in 1996. His personnel files since then show that he's been verbally reprimanded several times, including for being late for work six times.
He also was reprimanded three times for making discourteous comments to co-workers and the public, including twice for broadcasts that were deemed inappropriate from the dispatching center. In 2007, Santuomo was disciplined for allowing his basic Emergency Medical Technician license to expire. The license is required by the state of Ohio and the union contract. Supervisors gave him an extension -- and access to patients -- until May 2009.
Court records show he currently faces trial for a misdemeanor criminal charge of passing a bad check, for a check that bounced to the Ohio Auto Club. His driver's license also was suspended for failing to pay a traffic fine in February. In that case, he was granted driving privileges for trips to the gas station, groceries and to and from work.
The license suspension expires in September. | Source: Columbus Dispatch - June 26, 2009
Update posted on Jun 30, 2009 - 3:58PM |
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