AR-News: Man apprehended in animal cruelty case

[jim robertson]

Man apprehended in animal cruelty case

By JAIME NORTH
Staff writer

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A 36-year-old former Waynesboro man was apprehended in court Monday by the 
Franklin County Sheriff's Department for animal cruelty in connection with 
the Jan. 13 death of a puppy.

Dallas Davis, formerly of 807 W. Main St., Waynesboro, was in court on 
unrelated drug charges and was taken into custody on an arrest warrant 
issued by the Waynesboro Police Department, according to Sheriff Robert 
Wollyung.

The sheriff's department was notified that Davis was present in the 
courthouse awaiting to appear in Franklin County Common Pleas Court on drug 
charges, Wollyung said.

"After we confirmed the outstanding warrant, our deputies went upstairs and 
took him into custody," Wollyung said. "The deputies stayed with him while 
he answered to his other charges, then we turned him over to the Waynesboro 
Police."

Davis' former girlfriend, Sharon Black, 43, same address, also faces charges 
in connection with the death of the puppy.

Black, who is scheduled for arraignment on Aug. 4, was charged with cruelty 
to animals. Black waived her preliminary hearing on June 22.

She was charged because she failed to seek veterinary care for the dog for 
several days despite knowing it was suffering in her home.

The puppy, a 19-pound white German shepherd mix, was found on Jan. 11 in a 
trash container with two broken front legs that had been crudely splinted. A 
security guard on rounds found the puppy behind the Landis Gardner factory, 
20 E. Sixth St.

The puppy was named Hope by Antietam Humane Society workers who tried to 
save her and was taken to Wayne Heights Animal Hospital, but died Jan. 13 of 
apparent heart failure after surgery to repair her injuries, according to 
veterinarian Dennis McCullough

According to police, Davis took the dog into the yard of the couple's 
residence on Dec. 1 and began hitting her. He threw the dog to the ground 
several times and then broke both of her front legs with a cane, according 
to court reports.

The cruelty case drew the attention of the People for the Ethical Treatment 
of Animals (PETA) when charges were filed by police in April.

The animal rights group wrote a letter to Franklin County District Attorney 
Jack Nelson, urging him to seek the maximum penalty for the two people 
accused in the death of the puppy.

Under Pennsylvania law, a first-degree misdemeanor charge of cruelty to 
animals carries a maximum fine of $750 and/or imprisonment for no more than 
90 days. A first-degree misdemeanor charge of making terroristic threats 
carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Davis was placed in the Franklin County Prison in lieu of $20,000 bond, 
according to Waynesboro Police. His preliminary hearing in Franklin County 
Central Court is scheduled for July 6.

Davis also faces charges of making terroristic threats for allegedly 
threatening to kill Black and her son if she refused to put the dog in the 
trash receptacle or called police.

Originally published Tuesday, June 29, 2004

http://www.publicopiniononline.com/news/stories/20040629/localnews/743660.html





So many gods, so many creeds,so many paths that wind and wind, while just 
the art of being kind is all this sad world needs.
-- Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1805-1919)