New features are coming soon. Login with Facebook to get an early start and help us test them out!
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 #453 Rating: 2.4 out of 5
Friday, Oct 11, 2002
County: Montgomery
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Jerry Nelson Hartley
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
Jerry Nelson Hartley faces a prelinimary hearing for allegedly impaling the family dog (Jack) four times with a 28 inch sword. A father of three children, who were not present during the stabbing of the golden retriever. He stabbed Jack in the neck, chest, stomach and hindquarters, then attempted to clip the dog's bloody gashes with an office stapler. Hartley's vicious animal abuse is a clear clue to a turbulent domestic situation. He is charged with animal cruelty and is presently in detention, in lieu of a $25,000 bond. Hearing Oct 24, 2002.
Case Updates
Hartley pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of cruelty to animals and possession of an instrument of crime before Montgomery County Judge William T. Nicholas, and also must forfeit his golden retriever, "Jack," as part of the plea agreement. Nicholas sentenced Hartley to two months and 23 days already served to 23 months in jail, to be followed by one year of probation. Hartley, who had been in jail between Oct. 15 and Jan. 7, was ordered to pay $1,062 to a Harleysville veterinarian to cover the cost of Jack's medical treatment and he was fined $1,000 as part of the plea agreement. He had faced up to 10 years in prison on the charges had he been convicted at trial.
"Since the arrest, Jack has been cared for by a foster family," Assistant District Attorney Todd Stephens said Monday.
Read more: The Mercury |
| Update posted on May 20, 2003 - 11:59AM |
References
- Philadelphia Daily News - Article: Man stabs His Dog for Soiling the Rug
- The Mercury
« PA State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Montgomery County, PA