Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | David Phillips | | Defense(s): | Kevin S. Talebi | | Judge(s): | Michael J. Grigsby |
Images for this Case
Cows beaten, stabbed with pitchforks at dairy farm
Plain City, OH (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Apr 28, 2010
County: Madison
Charges: Misdemeanor, Felony Non-CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 6 files available
Defendant/Suspect: Billy Joe Gregg, Jr
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A man pleads guilty to animal abuse charges and is sentenced in a Marysville courtroom Friday.
Billy Joe Gregg Jr., 25, pleaded guilty to six counts of cruelty to animals and was sentenced to eight months in jail for abusing cows at a local dairy farm.
Gregg's sentence also included a $1,000 fine and court-appointed mental-health screening. Gregg also must stay away from animals of all sorts as a part of his sentencing during three years of probation and must complete therapy for animal-abusers.
Gregg's sentence was part of a plea deal. He originally was charged with 12 counts of cruelty to animals. He pleaded guilty to six charges, and six additional charges were dropped.
He was given the maximum sentence on the charges to which he pleaded guilty.
Each of the 12 abuse counts were second-degree misdemeanors. Each count is punishable by as many as 90 days in jail.
He apologized to his family and the community in Marysville Municipal Court Friday. He said he understands what did was wrong.
Previously, during his bond hearing Gregg asked for a court-appointed attorney and claimed in court that he is a disabled Army veteran and former police officer.
He said he has spent the last six years in the Army and is studying to become a police officer in Ohio.
Gregg first entered not-guilty pleas on the 12 counts of cruelty to animals.
The cruelty charges against Gregg were filed after an animal welfare group released graphic video Tuesday, May 25, 2010.
The video was was shot between April 28 and Sunday in an undercover investigation at the farm, said Mercy For Animals, a not-for-profit group that publicizes what it calls cruel practices in the dairy, meat and egg industries and promotes a vegan diet.
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Though Conklin did appear to abuse a cow in the video, Phillips said Conklin said those actions were necessary to get the cow up to avoid muscle atrophy.
"Mr. Conklin explained to law enforcement why he was doing this. The veterinarians examined the video and all of it, the whole segment of video, and determined his actions were appropriate, not at all abusive," Phillips said.
Gregg will serve his sentence at the Tri-County Regional Jail in Mechanicsburg. He has credit for 120 days already served. He has served half of his sentence on the animal abuse charges.
A group of protestors were outside the courthouse Friday protesting the state of Ohio's animal abuse laws. They were protesting the fact the abuse charges were only misdemeanors.
Case UpdatesJudge Don Fraser of Union County Common Pleas Court made it clear yesterday that he wanted to send the man standing in front of him to prison for a long time.
But he couldn't.
Billy Joe Gregg Jr. was there to be sentenced on one count of improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony charge that, traditionally in this court, has carried with it only probation for those who commit it.
Fraser sentenced Gregg, 26, of Delaware, to five years' probation and 200 hours of community service and ordered him to attend counseling and anger-management classes.
The charge for having a loaded, .40-caliber Glock handgun in the console of his pickup truck, however, isn't what Gregg is known for.
That designation comes from a widely circulated video recorded by an animal-rights organization showing him abusing cows on a Union County farm.
Gregg immediately was fired from his job at Conklin Dairy Farms after the video surfaced in May. He pleaded guilty last year to six misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty in Marysville Municipal Court for the abuse. Judge Michael Grigsby sentenced him to the maximum 18 months in jail but suspended half the time.
Fraser told Gregg he was lucky that the animal-cruelty charges hadn't been felonies that would have put him at Fraser's mercy.
"Your actions in that case offend me to the very core of my being," Fraser said.
But the judge said his role yesterday was to look at the gun charge alone.
It stemmed from an incident on May 26, when Gregg drove his pickup truck to the sheriff's office for questioning about the video, which had been secretly recorded by an operative of the Mercy For Animals organization.
While he was at the sheriff's office, Gregg's then-girlfriend called and said she wanted to pick up the truck, but she asked authorities to first remove the handgun inside.
A detective then found the gun, six rounds of ammunition and a case in the console, according to court records. State law prohibits drivers from having ready access to loaded weapons inside vehicles unless the driver has a concealed-carry permit and meets other conditions.
The gun charge could have carried up to 18months in prison, but Fraser said he reviewed previous cases and, consistently, violators have been given probation.
Terry Hord, Union County's assistant chief prosecutor, had asked for a 17-month prison sentence. Gregg apologized in court and said that he should have kept control of the handgun, known where it was and taken care of it. Despite his guilty plea, Gregg maintains that his ex-girlfriend is the one who left the gun in the truck.
"I believe, if given the chance, I would prove to you that I'm not the person I have been portrayed to be," he said.
Fraser, however, was unmoved and cautioned Gregg to carry his probation papers in his back pocket and study them every day.
"Be very careful about your actions and be very careful to follow the rules," Fraser said. "Because if you don't, then you have given me a reason to send you to prison, and I will." | Source: dispatch.com - Mar 5, 2011
Update posted on Mar 5, 2011 - 10:01AM |
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