Guest guest Posted April 2, 2004 Report Share Posted April 2, 2004 - SharkIntl @ aol.com (remove 2 spaces) Rita Fazio Thursday, April 01, 2004 11:27 AM SHARK Success Dear Friends, SHARK is thrilled to announce that charges have been filed against two animal abusers from last September's Morris Rodeo. Please read the details in the following article from the Joliet Herald, and then please contact the following individuals and politely thank them for their participation in seeing these charges through. Mr. Sheldon Sobol, Grundy County State's Attorney - Please thank him for pursuing this case. 111 E. Washington Street Morris, IL 60450 Phone: 815-941-3276 Fax: 815-942-0172 Mr. Carroll Imig, Bureau Chief - Please thank him for actively working with SHARK on this issue and for providing Mr. Sobol with the information he needed. Bureau of Animal Welfare IL Dept. of Agriculture PO Box 19281 State Fairgrounds Springfield, IL 62794 Phone: 1-800-273-4763 (for IL callers) or 217-785-4733 (for outside of IL) Fax: 217-524-7702 E-Mail: cimig @ agr.state.il.us (remove 2 spaces)Ms. Jeanne Millsap, Reporter - Please thank her for exposing this issue to the public. Phone: 815-941-4059 E-Mail: sciwriter (remove 2 spaces) To write a letter to the editor: heraldnews @ scn1.com (remove 2 spaces) ?subject=scnmedia.hn.letter.to.editor Rodeo case: 2 charged with animal cruelty By Jeanne Millsap SPECIAL TO THE HERALD NEWS MORRIS — For the first time in the state, charges of animal cruelty related to the use of an electric prod in a rodeo have been brought against rodeo participants. Two men involved in a Morris rodeo last fall have been charged with animal cruelty. They are accused of using high-voltage electric cattle prods on penned bulls during the event. The Grundy County state's attorney's office filed the charges against St. Anne resident Michael Latting, of Latting Rodeo Productions, and Juaquin Santos, of Indiana. Grundy County Assistant State's Attorney Jack Schaller said the evidence against both men stems from witness testimony and from a private videotape made at the event.Schaller said both men are owners of bulls ridden at The Big Bucks Rodeo held in rural Morris on Sept. 27, and that both are accused of using the prods on their own bulls while the animals were still in their chutes. First offense charges of "cruel treatment to animals" is classified as a Class A misdemeanor, which could give the defendants probation up to two years, jail terms up to one year, and/or fines up to $2,500, if convicted.A Class A misdemeanor is the strongest misdemeanor charge. A defendant found guilty of committing the same charge a second time would be subject to felony charges of animal cruelty.There have been other court cases of animal cruelty at rodeos in the state, but none involving the use of prods, said Jeff Squibb, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Agriculture, which regulates animal cruelty charges. It's not unusual for cattlemen to use electric prods to move their animals from place to place, Squibb said, but the department considers the practice cruel when the animal is in confined quarters."We believe this constitutes cruel treatment," he said. "It is the department's opinion that there can be a well-managed rodeo that complies with the Illinois Humane Care for Animals Act. But certainly, as in the case of the Morris rodeo, many of them leave a lot to be desired." The charges of animal cruelty were initially investigated by the Department of Agriculture, which then recommended prosecution of the two individuals to the Grundy County state's attorney's office.Schaller said the allegations were brought to his office by concerned citizens and by the Department of Agriculture. Steve Hindi, president of Showing Animals Respect and Kindness, or SHARK, said he recorded a video of five or six rodeo participants using Hot-Shot Power Mite electric prods on the bulls at the Morris event. He said he has posted one clip from the video on the group's Web site, RodeoCruelty.com.Schaller said Hindi's video is one of the pieces of physical evidence authorities will present in the court case.Latting could not be reached for comment. But Latting has previously denied using prods on his bulls at the Morris rodeo, saying: "I don't believe in it ... While I'm there, everybody knows not to mess with my bulls. I take care of my animals."Latting, however, also has gone on record as describing bulls as docile farm animals."You can't make an animal buck if you don't do something to it," he told The Herald News last September. In the past, rodeo operators, who are not charged in this incident, have said they've done nothing wrong.Hindi said he is concerned about the use of these devices to make animals perform at rodeos. He believes the use of electric prods and other devices is widespread in Illinois.Latting and Santos will be arraigned April 26 at the Grundy County Courthouse to answer the counts against them. Link to article: http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/top/j01rodeo.htm For the Animals, Jodie Wiederkehr SHARK sharkintl @ aol.com (remove 2 spaces)www.sharkonline.org Small Business $15K Web Design Giveaway - Enter today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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