 Couple charged with beating an already injured dog
Middletown, OH (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Jan 27, 2004
County: Butler
Local Map: available
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged:
» Dillard Miracle
» Marsha Marion
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Dillard Miracle, 32 and Marsha Marion, 26 were charged with beating of dog that was already injured after being hit by a car have been given suspended jail sentences.
Dillard Miracle, pleaded no contest to the second-degree misdemeanor charge in Middletown Municipal Court before Visiting Judge Larry Moore of Kettering.
Miracle also was charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing official business. Those charges where withdrawn as part of the plea agreement.
Marsha Marion, also was charged with cruelty to animal after humane officer Liz Lucas determined she had not sought veterinarian care for the dog and let it suffer for two days before having it euthanized.
Miracle, who also pleaded no contest, got a $100 fine and 90 days in jail, then suspended the jail sentence and placed him on two years probation. The judge ordered Miracle to serve two days of community service at the PAWS animal shelter and complete an anger management course.
Marion also was given a $100 fine and a suspended 90-day jail sentence. She too was ordered to serve two days of community service at PAWS.
Both defendants were forbidden by the judge to own any pets during the duration of their probation.
According to Middletown police reports, on authorities were called Jan., 27, 2004 and reported of a dog that had been hit by a car and was still alive. She found a dog that appeared to be suffering from a broken back or hips.
After being told by bystanders that the dog lived near by, Lucas knocked at the residence, where children came to the door. Eventually a man, later identified as Miracle, came to the door and was advised of the dog�s injuries, police said.
Lucas said the man appeared to be agitated and went to the street and picked up the dog, carried it to the back door and dropped it on the back steps.
Miracle allegedly slapped a boy when the child expressed concern for the dog, Lucas said. The officer said Miracle told the child that action is what he deserved for letting the dog out.
The dog continued to cry out in pain and Miracle continuously hit the animal in the head, Lucas said. She saw the abuse through a window, she said.
Lucas knocked on the window and told Miracle to stop striking the dog. The man replied that it was his dog and he would do whatever he wanted, according to the report.
Lucas said she told Miracle he needed to call a veterinarian for the animal, which he said he did. But when Lucas called the facility, she was told Miracle only asked for the price of treatment and said he would call back at a later time.
Miracle continued to act belligerently when police officers arrived to assist Lucas, and attempted to pull away while he was being handcuffed, according to the report.
After Miracle was taken into custody, Marion said she would transport the husky-type canine to a veterinarian�s office for treatment � but that apparently never occurred.
According to Lucas, when she went back to check on the dog two days later, she was told it had been taken to a veterinarian in Trenton, and euthanized.
The humane officer discovered the dog actually had been taken to the Animal Friends Humane Society in Trenton, where workers said a woman told them her dog had been hit by a car and she did not have the money to take it for treatment. The dog continuously cried in pain and the woman said she wanted it euthanized. Veterinarians then put the dog to sleep.
Lucas retrieved the dog�s body and had it examined by a vet, who indicated the dog had suffered from a crushed pelvis. Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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