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 #7798 Rating: 2.3 out of 5
69 racing dogs neglected, 1 dead
Seminole, FL (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Jul 31, 2001
County: Pinellas
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects:
» Frank Ritt
» Bruno Steinmann
On August 24, 2001, in a 2-day jury trial held in the Seminole County Court House, Frank Ritt and Bruno Steinmann were found guilty on 70 counts each for abandonment of animals - a misdemeanor violation of Florida state animal cruelty statutes. Defendants were sentenced to a 7-month jail term. Under court order they were ordered to pay $7,000 each (a total of $14,000) to Greyhound Pets of America, the organization that, contrary to documented racing records, made media claims that they had adopted out all of the abused and neglected greyhounds (70 dogs minus the one that died) from the Ritt/Steinmann kennel.
NOTE: Ritt and Steinmann continued to hold valid licenses and work at Florida dog tracks for two years after the discovery of the abused Seminole greyhounds. Steinmann's license was revoked 10/9/01 for falsifications. Ritt voluntarily relinquished his license 9/27/01 after his second offense for using performance-enhancing drugs on a dog.
References« FL State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Pinellas County, FL
|
