Updated: Monday, September 8 2014, 06:21 PM EDT
WTOV9.com JEFFERSON COUNTY,
Ohio -- A man who's supposed to uphold the law has been accused of breaking it in a shocking incident. William Bell is the Dog Warden for Jefferson County. He's not only accused of hitting a dog in the head with a shovel, but witnesses say he did it in front of a group of young volunteers at the county shelter. "One dog was left out in the run area taken into building, and he walked out to look at the dog,” Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla said. “The dog was lying down. He walked back into an area and got a shovel and struck the dog with the shovel one time." Abdalla, whose office took the lead on the investigation, says Bell broke up a fight between two dogs. But, he took it one step to far. And it was all caught on video. "Looking at the video, you get hit with a shovel it's gonna hurt,”Abdalla said. “I thought at first it was gonna be a heavy swing where he really hurt that dog, but I don't think that that's the way it was, but apparently it was bad enough.” The dog, a 2-year-old pit bull named Misty, suffered injuries around its head and neck. As for that video, it hasn't been released to NEWS9, but Jefferson County Prosecutor Jane Hanlin has a copy. She got hers Monday, and her office has already filed charges -- one for injuring animals the other for cruelty to animals. "In Ohio, these are both misdemeanors of the second degree,” Hanlin said. “The highest punishment available is 90 days in jail, and that is true whether the dog is injured or even if the dog had been killed, which fortunately it wasn't in this case.” For officials and the volunteers, both young and old, who were at the shelter Saturday, it was shocking to watch Bell, a long-time county employee, lose his composure like he did. "One of the dogs is in a cage alone and doesn't appear to pose a threat at that time,” Hanlin said. “He goes back into the cage and strikes the animal in the head at that point. And that's the portion of the incident that we're concerned about.” Commissioners have placed Bell on paid administrative leave, and he won't be allowed to return to his duties until they have had a chance to conduct a joint investigation. Tonight at 11, you will hear from a witness who was there Saturday morning.
Read More at: http://www.wtov9.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/jefferson-county-dog-warden-allegedly-strikes-dog-shovel-5609.shtml?wap=0
No comments:
Post a Comment