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Case #3732 Rating: 3.0 out of 5
Dog left outside to freeze to death
Thurmont, MD (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Jan 23, 2005
County: Frederick
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Gerald Lee Travis, Jr.
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
A Thurmont man has been charged with three misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty for allegedly leaving his male pit bull, Russ, chained to a tree on a night when temperatures plunged below freezing. The dog died.
Gerald Lee Travis Jr., 40, of Thurmont, faces a maximum penalty of up to nine months in jail and a $3,000 fine.
The dog appeared to be dehydrated and most likely died from exposure to the elements, according to charging documents filed Jan 31, 2005 in Frederick County District Court.
Travis told Frederick County Animal Control investigators he gave the dog fresh food and water at about 4:30 a.m. Jan. 22, and returned home about 1 p.m. Jan. 23 after being unexpectedly detained. The overnight temperature both nights was 10 degrees in nearby Hagerstown, according to a local weather observer.
Travis cooperated with authorities during the investigation and acknowledged "that he was responsible for the conditions in which the dog was found," the documents state.
Case UpdatesA Thurmont man whose dog froze to death in a January snowstorm will spend the next three weekends in jail, a judge ruled Tuesday. Gerald Lee Travis Jr , 41, also must do 48 hours of community service "in an animal welfare setting" as part of the animal cruelty sentence imposed by Frederick County District Court Judge W Milnor Roberts
Sentencing Travis to the maximum penalty of 90 days, Judge Roberts suspended all but six days to be served at the local detention center
The judge said the challenge in determining a just sentence in the case was to impose a penalty "not unduly harsh, yet serious enough to reflect what happened" to Russ, a black-and-tan pit bull left to die Jan 23 as temperatures plunged into the teens
Bolstering her request for active incarceration, assistant state's attorney Kirsten Brown presented the judge with 16 letters from "citizens of Frederick County, none directly involved with the case "
Although Ms Brown said she did not believe Travis intended to kill Russ, Judge Roberts noted that at least one of the letter writers referred to Russ' death as "murder "
"The animal did suffer, no doubt about that," the judge said
Before sentence was imposed Judge Roberts invited input from the audience. A woman identified only as Peggy Kelly made a brief statement
"The circumstances under which Russ died were not an accident," Ms Kelly said
"He (Travis) had a responsibility and should have met that responsibility I believe that Russ suffered and that is painful to me and others who care about animals," she said
Travis was convicted in April after admitting to criminal negligence for failing to provide food, drink and shelter for his family pet
Travis told investigators that inclement weather delayed him from returning home
He did not address the court Tuesday
Travis' lawyer, Jack Blomquist, said his client "takes full responsibility He's very sad about it � Human error takes place" all the time, he said
Calling the three weekends in jail "a symbolic sentence," Judge Robe
rts said, "I hope that you will learn from this "
During a year of supervised probation, Travis is "to have no responsibility over animals whatsoever," the judge said
Each weekend as he reports to jail, Travis was ordered to "come with $60, cash in hand" to pay for his accommodations there, the judge said
He also was ordered to pay court costs; was fined $500, with $400 suspended; and was told to pay $100 restitution to the state agriculture department's animal health lab for the cost of performing a necropsy on Russ. | Source: Frederick News Post Online - July 27, 2005
Update posted on Jul 27, 2005 - 8:17AM |
Gerald Lee Travis, 40, faces up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine at his sentencing for the misdemeanor June 14 in Frederick County District Court. He pleaded guilty to one count last week.
Travis was charged Jan. 31 with three counts of animal cruelty after his pit bull, Russ, was found frozen to the ground after two nights outdoors with lows in the teens. A veterinarian attributed the dog's death to exposure.
Travis told police he was away from home when the dog died, due to an unexpected delay. | Source: WTOP - Aoril 22, 2005
Update posted on Apr 23, 2005 - 12:31PM |
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