CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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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 "Peoples 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 isnt enough.
Case #6513 Rating: 5.0 out of 5
Starved, mistreated puppy at training facility
Carbondale, CO (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Dec 31, 2003
County: Garfield
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Christine Marie McKelvey
Chris McKelvey has pleaded no contest to misdemeanor animal cruelty, ending a case that had put the spotlight on operations at her Carbondale kennel.
McKelvey, when contacted by telephone at the Chris McKelvey School of Dog Training, said she did "nothing wrong."
"I said I would never plead guilty," said McKelvey, adding that the media's coverage of her case was inaccurate, unfair and libelous.
Despite her no-contest plea, McKelvey said she was not satisfied with the case's disposition. "The fairest outcome would have been if it was dismissed," she said.
In 2004, McKelvey was charged with animal cruelty after allegations surfaced that she starved and mistreated an Italian greyhound puppy during a two-week stay at her clinic.
Because of her no-contest plea entered December 9, 2005, in Eagle County Court, McKelvey must make a $500 charitable donation to a local animal shelter that takes in stray animals, said Deputy District Attorney Colleen Clark. Judge Fred Gannett, according to Clark, also sentenced McKelvey to two years of supervised probation. "For two years she has to organize her business in a manner in which she is on the same page as the pet owner," Clark said. "The judge said that it's not her decision to determine what way a dog is treated."
The owner of the dog, Katheryn Bowles, had lobbied the court to put McKelvey in county jail for six months and fine her $5,000, Clark said. References |
