AR-News: (US IL) Man gets probation in killing of his dog

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/southsouthwest/chi-0405140340may14,1,
6300703.story?coll=chi-newslocalssouthwest-hed 

Chicago Tribune

By Karen Mellen
Tribune staff reporter
Published May 14, 2004

A Joliet man was sentenced to 30 months' probation Thursday for killing a dog 
at his home last fall in a case that generated nearly 1,000 e-mails to the 
Will County state's attorney's office from animal rights supporters seeking 
stiff punishment.

Will County Judge Dan Rozak made it clear during sentencing proceedings that 
he would not allow the dozens of e-mails he personally received about Bernard 
Blowers, 29, to influence whether he exercised his option to send the 
defendant to prison.




Rozak had said that at least one of the e-mails was threatening and others 
vowed to unseat him if he did not sentence Blowers to prison.

But because Blowers had no criminal history, probation was the most 
appropriate sentence, Rozak said Thursday.

Blowers pleaded guilty in March to animal torture and aggravated cruelty to 
an animal for kicking his female Rottweiler and standing on her throat until 
she died in September.

"Mr. Blowers is not to own, care for or be in control of any animal, not even 
a goldfish," Rozak said during the sentencing.

If Blowers does not comply with all of the conditions of probation, including 
having a full-time job or community service, he could be sentenced to six 
months in jail, the judge said.

In March Blowers told reporters outside the courtroom that he was innocent 
but pleaded guilty because of the political pressure on authorities handling the 
case. He declined to comment further on Thursday, and his attorney, Keith 
Jones, also declined comment.

Animal rights activists said that although they were disappointed Blowers did 
not get a prison term, they are hopeful that the case will raise awareness 
about animal cruelty.

Donna Stronk of New Lenox, who works for various animal welfare organizations 
as an investigator, said the Blowers case became a cause celebre after the 
story was placed on several Internet sites. Some animal rights activists 
conceded that their tactics might have gone overboard after the judge expressed 
displeasure about the tone of the pressure campaign at the last hearing.

Stronk said she would be supportive of future e-mail and letter-writing 
campaigns, but said organizers must stress to people to refrain from making threats 
against judges or prosecutors.

"I think it's good the judge knew that there was some human outrage," she 
said.


Copyright © 2004, Chicago Tribune 



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    "The day may come when the rest of the animal creation may acquire those 
rights which never could have been withholden from them but by the hand of 
tyranny. - Jeremy Bentham 1748 - 1832 
The question is not can they REASON, nor can they TALK, but can they SUFFER?" 





         
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