ELYRIA, Ohio -- Animal cruelty charges were dismissed Friday morning against two Elyria men charged with throwing a dog to his death at Cascade Park, when the prosecution's only witness could not be located.
Lorain County Jail
The charges of animal cruelty and animal abandonment were dismissed against Christopher Taylor, 21, and Joshua Novak, 24. Lorain County Metro Park Ranger arrested the men on Dec. 29 after a witness said they saw Taylor throw the dog over the cliff. The witness told rangers that the dog crawled back up the hill and was thrown over the cliff a second time.
The body of the dog was never found and is believed to have been washed away in the Black River.
Bert Massey, bailiff for Municipal Court Judge Lisa Locke Graves, said the judge dismissed the charges when the witness failed to appear for a pre-trial hearing. He said the charges can be refiled if the witness can be located by Dec. 29, 2017.
Lorain County Jail
Defense attorney John Prusak said Taylor and Novak were relieved that the case was over.
"Taylor had been getting threats in the mail, he is relieved that it's over," Prusak said. "You're innocent until proven guilty."
Prusak said both men are free to once again own dogs now that the case has been dismissed. In January, Taylor's mother surrendered two family dogs to the Friendship Animal Protective League after Taylor was released on bond but ordered to have no contact with dogs.
The case has been a source of controversy since the men were arrested, sparking several protests by animal welfare activists demanding justice for the dog they named "Cascade." Dozens of people from several animal welfare groups protested outside the Elyria Municipal Court whenever there was a hearing in the case.
No comments:
Post a Comment