A Tannersville man will appeal his conviction on two counts of cruelty to animals and contest a grand larceny charge Sept. 16, 2005.
James Alan Blevins, 37, was convicted in General District Court in October 2004 on two counts of cruelty to animals. District Judge Pat Johnson sentenced Blevins to 60 days in jail and fined him $2,000.
Johnson suspended the jail sentence and half of the fine. Blevins, who was also ordered to pay restitution, appealed the convictions and the case was originally scheduled for trial in circuit court April 15. That trial was postponed and in the meantime, Commonwealth�s Attorney Dennis Lee presented a charge of grand larceny to a grand jury and a true bill was returned.
All three charges stem from the commonwealth's accusation that Blevins killed two dogs belonging to his neighbors in December of 2003. The dogs became lost while they and their owners were bear hunting in the state forest, bordering land owned by the Blevins family.
The bodies of the dogs were later discovered in an area near where Blevins and his father traveled each day to feed cattle. The tracking collar worn by one of the dogs was missing and that is the basis for the grand larceny charge.
Blevins and his attorney, Barry Proctor of Abingdon, have requested a jury trial on all three charges. Commonwealth�s Attorney Dennis Lee said the case should go forward in September. References« Back to Search Results
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