Caged dog dropped off in culvert Medina, OH (US) Incident Date: Saturday, Mar 11, 2006 County: Medina Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Alleged: Lisa A Downing

Case ID: 7969 Classification: Neglect / Abandonment Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in OH (US) Abuse was retaliation against animal's bad behavior Child or elder neglect Login to Watch this Case

A city woman is facing misdemeanor animal cruelty charges after her son reportedly left the family's German shepherd puppy in a Wadsworth Road culvert March 11, 2006.

Lisa A. Downing, 37, of 632 Smokerise Drive, was charged after a three-week investigation, said Medina police Lt. Bob Starcher. Police reported a neighbor found the male puppy during the morning of March 11, 2006 after the dog persistently barked for hours. The dog had been left in a cage with no food or water for at least part of the night, Starcher said. Police located Downing's 14-year-old son, who reportedly said he was instructed by his mother to place the dog in the culvert. His mother, he told police, was complaining the dog would not stop making noise as she was trying to sleep. Downing denied what her son said, the lieutenant noted. She told police she only instructed her son to take the dog downstairs.

The case against Downing's son was forwarded to the Medina County Juvenile Prosecutor's Office, Starcher said. After several weeks of investigation, the juvenile prosecutor's office recommended charges be filed against Downing and not her son, Starcher said. "(The prosecutor's office) said she is ultimately responsible for her son and the dog," he said. Downing was charged with abandoning animals and cruelty to animals, both second-degree misdemeanors punishable by up to 90 days in jail. She pleaded not guilty to both charges, municipal court records show. She is free from the Medina County Jail on $750 bond, records show.

The puppy was not harmed during the incident, Starcher said. Two weeks ago, Downing signed over possession of the dog to the Medina County SPCA, which returned the dog to its breeder, the lieutenant related. SPCA officials estimated the puppy at between 10 and 12 weeks old, he said.

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References

	Medina Gazette - April 2006
	WKYC - April 4, 2006
	Case 06CRB00399-A ABANDONING ANIMALS 301
	Case 06CRB00399-B CRUELTY TO COMPANION 301

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