Attorneys/Judges
| Defense(s): | Ron Gatts | | Judge(s): | Stephen Fallis |
CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #15897 Rating: 1.0 out of 5
Rabbits drowned at pet store
Akron, OH (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Oct 1, 2009
County: Summit
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Liz Carlisle
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
Liz Carlisle, a Ravenna resident accused of drowning rabbits at a Chapel Hill Mall pet store in Akron, will stand trial on two misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 15 in Akron Municipal Court.
Carlisle, her parents and defense attorney Ron Gatts appeared for a pre-trial hearing at the downtown Akron courthouse Thursday. Carlisle, 20, previously had entered a plea of not guilty to two counts of cruelty to animals -- one for each rabbit she is accused of drowning. Carlisle no longer works at the pet store, according to published reports.
She was charged after appearing in a photo on the Facebook.com social networking Web site holding two dead rabbits that allegedly were euthanized by drowning because they were injured.
Case UpdatesAfter initially pleading not guilty to two counts of animal cruelty, former pet-store employee Liz Carlisle -- whose admission on Facebook that she'd drowned two injured rabbits at an Ohio Petland franchise drew the ire of animal lovers across the country and led to the store being closed -- changed her mind last month and instead pleaded guilty to the charges.
Carlisle, 20, apparently drowned the rabbits after they were both badly injured during a fight with each other. She later posted a photo, in which she smiled while holding the dead rabbits, on her Facebook page.
Carlisle's attorney, Ron Gatts, suggested that his client was not getting a fair shake, implying that store policy may have played a role in the incident and insisting that Carlisle was in fact "an avid animal lover." (For its part, Petland was quick to distance itself from Carlisle and her case, noting in a statement that the Akron store "was individually owned and operated by a local franchisee" whose agreement with the company had been terminated in light of the animal-cruelty allegations. "Petland will in no way, shape or form tolerate any abuse of animals in its care," the statement continued. "We are outraged at this gross violation of Petland's animal care standards.")
Last month, Carlisle abruptly changed her plea to guilty, despite Gatts' inclination to bring the case to trial. "As much as I wanted to try the case, [Carlisle] said, 'I did it,' which I think she has said from the beginning, and she said, 'I just want it to be over with','' the attorney told the Akron Beacon Journal.
Although a judge could have sentenced her to up to 180 days in jail, Carlisle received probation. She'll also have to pay a $250 fine and serve 120 hours of community service, the Beacon Journal reported. | Source: LA Times - Dec 4, 2009
Update posted on Dec 6, 2009 - 11:01PM |
The woman who received national media attention and death threats after she was photographed smiling while holding two rabbits she had drowned, was sentenced to probation Thursday.
Akron Municipal Judge Stephen Fallis sentenced Kent State University student Liz Carlisle to 180 days in jail, but suspended the jail time. She was put on six months' probation, ordered to pay $350 in fines and costs and spend 120 hours community service. Fallis said if the probation department determines she would benefit from counseling, she will have to get it.
She pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of animal cruelty.
Carlisle said she has gotten death threats and there were protests at her home and school after she was arrested for drowning two injured rabbits at the former Petland store in the Chapel Hill Mall. She had no criminal record.
"I asked her why she was smiling in the photograph of herself holding the dead rabbits," said Fallis. "She said her boss at the pet store told her to hold up the rabbits and smile, so she did. She said she knew she had done something horrible, but that her psychology classes taught her to smile when you're having a bad day."
Fallis said the woman explained that she found two injured rabbits in the cage that had been fighting. She asked her supervisor what to do.
"She said the supervisor told her to 'baptize them, and made up and down motions' which she believed meant to drown them," Fallis said. "She said she drowned them in a bucket."
Carlisle told Fallis the supervisor snapped the photo and then sent it to Carlisle's cell phone. Carlisle said she was upset over what she had done and tried to send it to a friend but accidentally posted it on his Facebook page.
Petland officials said they terminated the owner's franchise agreement because of the "horrific mistreatment of rabbits at the Petland store in Akron." "Petland will in no way, shape or form tolerate any abuse of animals in its care," company officials said in a news release. "We are outraged of this gross violation of Petland's animal care standards." | Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - Nov 20, 2009
Update posted on Nov 20, 2009 - 11:47AM |
Animal-cruelty charges against a former pet-store worker accused of drowning two injured rabbits could be lowered.
Ron Gatts, attorney for Liz Carlisle, 20, of Ravenna, said he expects a change from first-degree to second-degree misdemeanors.
Gatts said the first-degree charges, which each carry up to a six-month sentence, assume the animals were ''companion animals'' in a ''residential setting.''
The rabbits were not, he said.
Second-degree charges each carry a maximum 90-day jail sentence.
Gatts said the change would not be a plea deal, but rather a recognition that wrong charges had been filed.
On Thursday, Akron Municipal Judge Stephen Fallis scheduled a jury trail for 8:30 a.m. Dec. 15. A pretrial is set for 9 a.m. Dec. 10.
Carlisle, 20, was accused of animal cruelty after a photo of her posing with two dead rabbits appeared on Facebook, the social networking Web site.
She has pleaded not guilty to two first-degree misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty.
Carlisle has drawn the wrath of activists. The Internet image appears to show her holding a small, soaked and drowned rabbit in each hand. She is seen smiling in the photo.
She and family members were at the Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center while Gatts met with a city prosecutor on Thursday. Carlisle did not speak to reporters. There was apparently just one protester inside the Stubbs Center. An initial hearing attracted at least 30 protesters.
Gatts said Carlisle has received death threats. He has advised her not to talk.
A comment on the social Internet site says the animals had been injured and were euthanized through drowning. | Source: Ohio.com - Oct 30, 2009
Update posted on Oct 30, 2009 - 9:35PM |
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