Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | Tara Molnar | | Defense(s): | Hayley Cheng | | Judge(s): | Alvin Nishimura |
Images for this Case
CONVICTED: Was justice served?
more information on voting
When you vote, you are voting on whether or not the punishment fit the crime, NOT on the severity of the case itself. If you feel the sentence was very weak, you would vote 1 star. If you feel the sentence was very strong, you would vote 5 stars.
Please vote honestly and realistically. These ratings will be used a a tool for many future programs, including a "People’s Choice" of best and worst sentencing, DA and judge "report cards", and more. Try to resist the temptation to vote 1 star on every case, even if you feel that 100 years in prison isn’t enough.
Case #16447 Rating: 2.0 out of 5
Dogs starved, 7 seized
Aiea, HI (US)Incident Date: Monday, Dec 22, 2008
County: Honolulu
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 1 files available
Defendant/Suspect: Lira Ikeda
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
The Hawaiian Humane Society rescued 7 dogs from a Crosspointe rental unit near the Stadium in December 2008 after receiving reports of a strong odor and incessant barking.
The dogs were left unattended for a long period of time (possibly several weeks) without food, water and starving -- nearly dead, living in their own filth.
The Hawaiian Humane Society obtained custody of the animals from the dog owner, an inmate in HCC who had left his girlfriend/friend as caregiver.
The dogs were immediately transported to the Humane Society for a medical evaluation. They were later rehabilitated in foster care. The owner surrendered all 7 dogs to the Humane Society and we found new homes for all.
Absentee caregiver Lira Ikeda was charged with 7 counts of animal cruelty in December 2008. She failed to appear in court several times, had a bench warrant out for her arrest. It was only when her mug shot was posted on the Honolulu Crimestoppers Website under the Animal Crimestoppers division was she found and arrested within 24 hours.
She is scheduled to go to trial on July 28, 2010 at the Pearl City Courthouse at 9:30 am. Citation number 165224DL.
Case UpdatesA woman who admitted leaving seven dogs alone without adequate food or water was sentenced to a fine and community service Wednesday.
In December 2008, the Humane Society removed seven miniature pincers from an Aiea apartment rented by Lira Ikeda. The property manager said no one had tended the dogs for about a month.
In district court Wednesday, Ikeda pleaded no contest to seven counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. Her attorney said she hadn't meant to neglect the dogs, but her ex-boyfriend who owned five of the dogs was in prison and her mother was dying of cancer.
“It’s not as black and white as the state has tried to make it seem,” said public defender Hayley Cheng.
Deputy Prosecutor Tara Molnar asked Judge Alvin Nishimura to make Ikeda pay more than $2,000 in fines and perform 700 hours of community service, but instead, he set the fine and fees at $155 per dog, for a total of $1,085, and 350 hours of community service.
The dogs have all been adopted by other families. Thelma and Louise were brought to Naomi Loewe days after they were rescued, and their smaller sister, Skoshi, four months later. She said the first two dogs were in poor shape when she first saw them, but she didn’t hesitate when asked to care for them.
“Once you saw them and saw what bad shape they were in, it was very easy to take them and try nurse them back to health,” Loewe said.
Loewe said she didn’t think the judge’s sentence was harsh enough to discourage others from neglecting animals. “I hope in the future the court system will see fit to hand out stricter sentences so that these kinds of cases won't happen,” Loewe said.
The judge also granted Ikeda a deferral of her sentence. That means if she pays her fines and stays out of trouble for one year, the conviction will not appear on her criminal record. | Source: KITV - July 28, 2010
Update posted on Jul 29, 2010 - 12:51AM |
References« Back to Search Results
« More cases in Honolulu County, HI
|
