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 #3943 Rating: 2.8 out of 5
Neglect of 128 pit bulls
Savannah, GA (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Sep 30, 2004
County: Chatham
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Florida Hunt
Chatham County resident Florida Hunt claims that he likes to collect dogs. Pit bulls, specifically. Animal Control officials counted 128 of them tethered by heavy metal chains to stakes behind Hunt's Chevis Road home in a residential neighborhood near U.S. 17 and Ga. 204.
Last month, a jury found him guilty on seven counts of cruelty to animals. Hunt was unapologetic minutes before sentencing. "This is a hobby," said Hunt, 60. "I don't go boating, I don't go fishing or waterskiing or mountain climbing. ... This is what I do. I enjoy doing this."
Reports filed in State Court, however, showed that Hunt's hobby meant keeping the dogs in deplorable conditions. Inspections found that most were underfed, with no food present and dirty green water set out in hub caps and other rudimentary bowls. The pit bulls lived in trash barrels filled with waste and in dilapidated sheds with protruding nails.
Almost all were allegedly flea-ridden, and many were wounded and extremely aggressive. A veterinarian described pit bulls with rickets, amputated tails, scarred bodies and rows of teeth broken off at the gum line. A few had snake bites.
Animal Control carted off and was forced to euthanize seven dogs in 2001. Hunt was charged and found guilty for each one. Monday, Judge Hermann Coolidge Jr. sentenced Hunt to five years of probation and a $3,500 fine.
The judge also ordered him to not take on any more dogs, to register existing ones and to have them examined by a veterinarian every three months to determine they are in good health.
Attorney Jonah Pine said following a three-year battle with county and state officials, his client intends to get rid of all but 10 of his pets. Hunt plans to sell 29 per year - the most allowed by the state without a license - and give the others away.
"I'm tired of this whole thing," Hunt said. "It's just drained me. I'm physically, mentally and emotionally drained."
The sentence, however, was far less severe than what Assistant District Attorney Melanie Higgins sought.
She wanted Hunt to serve 70 days in jail, pay $7,000 and to never own another pet again - "not even a goldfish." The pit bulls, she said, should be evaluated by an animal behaviorist to see which are suitable for adoption. The ones that aren't - and she admitted most wouldn't - would have to be euthanized. "I hate the idea of playing God, but I don't know if we have a choice in this matter," Higgins said. "The defendant has no concept of the misery he has inflicted on these animals."
But where Higgins saw misery, Pine saw "a bunch of happy, playful dogs." "This was a crime of neglect rather than a crime of intent," he said. And Judge Coolidge said he was unwilling to impose a sentence that would condemn more than 100 dogs to their deaths. Higgins said the sentence - which requires the state to constantly monitor the health of dozens of animals - will be a "compliance nightmare."
Animal activists said it sends the wrong message. "It's not as thorough as we had hoped," said Sarah Buchanan, who is involved in several Savannah pet rescue groups. "I think it's unfortunate the judge didn't take into consideration a dog's quality of life. Just because a dog is in good health doesn't mean it is wired right. And the sentence means he can continue this thing he calls his hobby." References- SavannahNow.Com
- WSAV - March 1, 2005
« GA State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Chatham County, GA
|
