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 #8914 Rating: 2.3 out of 5
Alligator beaten with hammer, abandoned
Grand Rapids, MI (US)Incident Date: Monday, Jun 5, 2006
County: Kent
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Brian Scott DeRooy
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
The person accused of abandoning a four-foot alligator in a lakeshore park is expected to turn him or herself in to police on June 15. The alligator was found in Ludington's Copeyon Park in early June.
Animal control officers say the owner could no longer afford to feed the animal, hit it with a hammer, then abandoned it.
The owner, whose name has not been released, will face animal cruelty and abandonment charges during Thursday's court hearing.
If convicted, the owner could face three months in jail.
Case UpdatesA man who attempted to kill a 4-foot alligator and then abandoned it near a city park was sentenced Tuesday to 30 hours of community service and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Brian S. DeRooy of Ludington pleaded guilty to a charge of animal cruelty in Mason County district court.
DeRooy, 37, said he did not mean to maim the animal.
"I put a hatchet in the back of the head of the alligator," he told Judge Peter Wadel. "I was watching it for some people and was moving and couldn't take it with me. At the time, I thought it was the right thing to do."
After attempting to kill the alligator June 8, police said, DeRooy dumped it behind an empty building near a Ludington park. A man walking his dog spotted it. Animal-control officers corralled it.
Wadel told DeRooy he should have called animal control.
The alligator was taken to a shelter in Traverse City. | Source: Detroit Free Press - Sept 27, 2006
Update posted on Sep 28, 2006 - 8:13AM |
Brian Scott DeRooy, 37, of Ludington, declined comment after his arraignment on June 22, 2006 in Mason County District Court, the Ludington Daily News reported. A man walking his dog in a marshy area of the park spotted the alligator earlier this month, police said. Animal control officers corralled it. Police Chief Mark Barnett said the owner couldn't find a way to get rid of the alligator, so he struck it on the head with a hammer in an effort to kill it, then dumped it.
DeRooy waived his right to an attorney and was released on personal recognizance bond. Magistrate Patricia Baker ordered him not to own or possess any animals until the case is settled.
A pretrial hearing was scheduled for July 24, 2006. | Source: MLive News - June 22, 2006
Update posted on Jun 26, 2006 - 2:23PM |
A 37-year-old Ludington man was scheduled to be arraigned in 79th District Court on a charge of animal cruelty, abandoning.
However, the summons contained an incorrect address, and the summons was returned, Magistrate Patricia Baker said. The court mailed a new summons to the man, and he is expected to be arraigned Tuesday, June 20.
A charge of animal cruelty, abandoning, is a 93-day misdemeanor. | Source: Ludington Daily News - June 15, 2006
Update posted on Jun 16, 2006 - 12:58PM |
References« MI State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Kent County, MI
|
