| Case ID: 17514 |
| Classification: Choking / Strangulation / Suffocation, Other |
| Animal: dog (non pit-bull) |
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| Prosecutor(s): | John Pietrofesa |
| Judge(s): | Jodi Debbrecht |
For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
Thursday, Oct 14, 2010
County: OaklandCharges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Kathryn E. Tucker
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A charge of animal cruelty has been issued by the Oakland County Prosecutor against a woman in the death of the dog owned by a disabled Waterford Township woman.
A charge of animal cruelty was authorized Tuesday against Kathryn E. Tucker of Washington Township in the death of Gooch, a pit-pull mix owned by Laurie Crouch, Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper said Thursday.
Crouch's mother, Mary Robbins, said a Waterford detective told her that Tucker will have a preliminary examination at 11 a.m. March 8 in 51st District Court in Waterford.
"I'm glad she's getting charged," Crouch, who has multiple sclerosis, said of the suspect. "I'm going there to court and I want to look her in the eyes and make her realize what she did."
A necropsy by veterinarians at the School of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University said Gooch died on Oct. 14 from "severe hemorrhaging, brain damage, multiple visceral organ damage and suffocation," Robbins said.
Crouch, who uses a wheelchair since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at 16, said she hired Tucker to groom her dog.
Tucker put a muzzle on Gooch and tied a leash around his jaw, then she and a male companion sat on Gooch to keep him still so they could trim his claws, Crouch said.
She screamed for the groomer to stop when Gooch started struggling to get free "but they wouldn't. They killed my dog in front of me."
When Gooch was dying and the two got off of his body, Crouch threw herself out of her wheelchair and dragged her body to hold her dog as it took its last breath.
Tucker and her companion refused to leave Crouch's home until they were paid, Crouch said.
"I told them there was a $10 and $5 bill on a table next to a couch and they should take it and just leave," Crouch said, recalling the incident.
To this day, she, her mother and grandmother still grieve for Gooch.
The story created an avalanche of sympathy from the public for Crouch.
A week before Christmas Crouch, 23, received a black Labrador puppy to keep her company since Gooch was killed.
"Oh, he's gorgeous," she said as she reached out to hold the puppy.
She named the dog Yogi "because he looks like a little bear cub."
Rebecca Arnett and Gail Lanzon, co-owners of Giggles & Wiggles Puppy Rescue of Auburn Hills, offered Crouch the puppy.
"They were only a couple of days old when Laurie picked out a puppy" from a litter of eight.
In addition to providing Crouch a puppy, Giggles & Wiggles provided her with a month's worth of dog food and paid for necessary vaccinations.
The cost of neutering Yogi was paid for by Jeanie and Christopher Pitsword and John and Patti Goodard, all of Roseville.
Conviction of animal cruelty is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail.
Case Updates
| The case of the dog groomer who is accused of killing a dog while clipping its nails continued Monday in Waterford Township's 51st District Court. Kathryn Tucker of Mt. Clemens was arraigned on a open bench warrant for failing to appear at a March 28 hearing before Judge Jodi Debbrecht. That hearing came about when Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor John Pietrofesa stated he had learned Tucker may have violated her bond, which involved her having dogs in her care. Tucker is accused of animal cruelty in the death of Gooch, a pit-bull mix owned by Laurie Crouch of Waterford. Conviction of animal cruelty is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail. Gooch died on Oct. 14 from severe hemorrhaging, brain damage, multiple visceral organ damage and suffocation, according to a necropsy report. Witnesses said Tucker sat on the dog while trimming his nails. On Monday, Tucker - who was led into court in handcuffs - sat in the jury box wiping away tears. Pietrofesa told the court that no attorney had showed up for the Monday hearing, and that no new paperwork had been filed for any new attorney for Tucker. Both Pietrofesa and Debbrecht said that a drug test run on Tucker indicated she had tested positive for a controlled substance. During this time, Tucker asked if she could speak, and Debbrecht said sternly, "No." Debbrecht arraigned Tucker on the bench warrant for failing to appear March 28. Tucker's bond was set at $25,000 with no 10 percent option. Tucker's attorney came to court after the hearing. "She's definitely going to fight the charges," he said. A pretrial hearing was reset for 9 a.m. on April 18. |
| Source: dailytribune.com - Apr 4, 2011 Update posted on Apr 4, 2011 - 11:52PM |
References
- « MI State Animal Cruelty Map
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