(MI) Man Hangs and Beats Dog, but no felony charges filed!

[Guest guest]

I had to read this twice to make sure it really said this. Please email the address at the bottom. This bottom feeding scum has GOT to pay!

 

http://www.mlive.com/grpress/news/index.ssf/2008/11/animals_lovers_upset_after_no.html

 

The Grand Rapids Press

 

Courtesy PhotoChance is on the mend at Wishbone Pet Rescue in Saugatuck.

DORR TOWNSHIP -- After being strung up by his neck from a branch and beaten with a stick last week in a wooded area, Chance the dog is doing all right today.

 

But animal lovers are outraged -- not just at the 22-year-old man accused in an incident police called "heinous," but at Allegan County prosecutors for issuing a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge in the case instead of a four-year felony.

 

"I think it's disgusting they are going to slap his hand and let him go," said Lanie Mossey, president of Wishbone Pet Rescue in Saugatuck, the agency that took in the black Labrador retriever after Allegan County sheriff's deputies confiscated the dog.

 

Prosecutor Fred Anderson has no plans to let the alleged abuser, Jason Allen Williams of Grandville, off without penalty.

 

But the case is not as clear-cut as critics suggest, particularly with Williams' claim he was trying to euthanize the dog over a belief it had liver disease, Anderson said. He planned to hit the dog in the head.

 

Williams told police he was broke and did not have money for properly disposing of the dog, an animal he adopted from another person. He thought the dog was sick because it constantly was going to the bathroom in his roommate's home.

 

"He did not make a good decision," Anderson said. "He didn't know what to do with (the dog)."

 

Police responded Nov. 17 to near the Dorr Township home where Williams was staying with a friend after a neighbor reported hearing the dog whimpering, went to investigate and witnessed the dog hanging and a man hitting the animal. The man fled, but later was identified as Williams.

 

A warrant has been issued against him for animal cruelty or abandonment, carrying a possible 93-day jail sentence, and Williams was ordered to turn himself into court by Thanksgiving or deputies may come looking for him.

 

A message left for Williams at his parents' home in Grandville was not returned.

Since organizers at Wishbone began talking about Chance's case last week, Anderson has been under heavy criticism. By Tuesday, he had received about eight e-mails and 10 phone calls questioning his decision -- far more feedback than he has received on some murder cases.

 

Anderson stands by the call, and said proving a "willful, malicious" intent for the felony might be difficult.

 

The misdemeanor charge still allows a judge to issue up to $1,000 in fines, 200 hours of community service, reimbursement for veterinarian care, possible psychological evaluation and to order an abuser not to own animals. And because the suspect has no record, sentencing guidelines for a felony animal abuse charge would only permit a three-month jail sentence, he said.

 

Still, Mossey thinks prison would be appropriate. Wishbone has received hundreds of e-mails and calls about Chance, some looking to adopt the 3-year-old dog.

"I am absolute passionate that something happen. This is just not acceptable behavior," she said.

 

Chance, now in foster care, is on pain medication and steroids for his injuries. According to the Web site for Wishbone, he remains disoriented, possibly a sign of brain damage from the hanging, although his long-term prognosis is not known. The vet mentioned no sign of liver disease, Mossey said.

 

"He is an amazing dog," she said. "You would think he would want to bite everyone, but he is very sweet."

 

Allegan County sheriff's Lt. Mike Larsen described the abuse as "heinous" and said police do not know how long the dog had been hanging from the branch.

"It's unexcusable, even if his excuses are valid to him," he said of the suspect.

 

E-mail John Tunison: jtunison