MI: Suspect says dog hanging, beating was really a "mercy killing"

MI: Suspect says dog hanging, beating was really a "mercy killing" (Graphic!)
Suspect: dog hanging about mercy killing (GRAPHIC WARNING)
Suspect 'really messed up'
by Joe LaFurgey
Last Edited: Monday, 24 Nov 2008, 7:43 PM EST
Created On: Monday, 24 Nov 2008, 6:28 PM EST
Channel 8 - woodtv.com - Grand Rapids, Michigan

DORR, Mich (WOOD) - Found hung from the neck in the woods near a Dorr Township neighborhood just over a week ago, Chance, the Labrador mix is recovering from a variety of injuries. The questions of who would do this to an animal and why are in this report from Allegan County sheriff's investigators.

In it, deputies say they were called to the neighborhood after residents heard the dog yelling, and found it hanging from a tree according to the report. Deputies were able to track down the owner. He's a 22-year-old who was temporarily staying in the area. He initially denied the abuse. And while he never said he beat the dog, the suspect did eventually admit to hanging him. He claims he was trying to euthanize the animal, after looking up symptoms on the Internet and determined the dog had liver problems.

The name of the suspect has been redacted in the report because he has not been arraigned. In the report, the suspect says "... he really messed up and made a huge mistake and didn't mean to do what he did do with the animal." The suspect told deputies he could not afford the vets bills for treatment, or to put the dog down.

"He had no other means to do so, that to take the animal onto the woods and to do it himself," said Allegan County Sheriff's Lieutenant Mike Larsen. After reviewing the report, Allegan County Prosecutor Fredrick Anderson decided to charge the dog's owner with animal abandonment and cruelty. It's a misdemeanor that carries up to 93 days in jail, a possible $1,000 fine and up to 200 hours of community service work.

The Judge has additional options, like ordering psychological evaluations, restitution of court costs and limits on future pet ownership for the suspect.

Anderson says the suspect could have faced felony charges, but only if the dog died or if he could prove willful and malicious intent on the part of the suspect. After reading the Sheriff's report, Anderson determined the incident did not reach felony status.

Something the people who saved Chance are not happy about. Lanie Mossey from Wishbone Pet Rescue said she plans on taking their complaints to Anderson.

Source: http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/Suspect_says_dog_hanging_was_about_mercy_killing#13479916-2
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Animals lovers upset after no felony charges filed against man accused of hanging, beating dog
by The Grand Rapids Press Tuesday November 25, 2008, 8:56 PM

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@grpress.com

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

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Misdemeanor charge dropped, more serious charge considered against man accused of abusing dog
by Nate Reens | The Grand Rapids Press Wednesday November 26, 2008, 7:09 PM

DORR TOWNSHIP -- Allegan County prosecutors today dropped a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge against a Grandville man accused of hanging and beating a Labrador retriever last week.

Jason Allen Williams, 22, hasn't been let off the hook, however, and may be facing a more serious felony allegation for the beating that was reported to authorities on Nov. 17, Prosecutor Fred Anderson said.
Publicity surrounding the alleged beating of the 3-year-old dog generated new information that contradicts Williams' claim that he was planning to euthanize the dog that he believed was suffering from a liver disease, Anderson said.
"It might be more damaging in that respect and we want to take a second look at it," Anderson said. "I've asked the sheriff's department to investigate and have a report sometime next week."

Williams was living with a friend when a neighbor called police after witnessing the alleged abuse in a wooded area in Dorr Township. The animal was found strung by his neck and tied to a branch, police said. It had been beaten with a stick. Chance is now recovering in a temporary foster home approved by Wishbone Pet Rescue, where the lab was taken to recuperate.

Authorities called the abuse heinous and inexcusable even if Williams truly believed the animal to be ill. The suspect told investigators that he did not have enough money to get rid of the dog, which he got from someone else. Williams believed it to be sick because it often urinated in his roommate's home, he told police.
The 22-year-old was facing a 93-day misdemeanor charge that could be upgraded to a four-year felony offense, authorities said.

Animal advocates have called for the more serious charge based on the egregious allegations. Williams was to turn himself in to sheriff's officials after Thanksgiving, but that will not be the case now, Anderson said. The prosecutor will review the findings of investigators and make a decision based on what the new information shows.

Source: ttp://www.mlive.com/grpress/news/index.ssf/2008/11/misdemeanor_charge_dropped_mor.html