Wow. As a prosecutor I can't help but think that there was probably some evidentiary or legal issue with the case. Otherwise I cannot fathom why they would agree to such a sentence. Particularly given the publicity, expense, and time this case has already sucked out of the community (if it is anything like my cases).

The "deferral" part of it really gets to me. What the DA neatly sidesteps from stating is that if they are not revoked in the 17 month period, the conviction comes off their record. This means that in states where you need a previous conviction to raise to the level of felony animal cruelty their convictions would not count....

 Quote: randy allen

Sign, well this looks like how it will end.

After shutting them down and charging them, after jumping bail, after having to find them and after having to chase them across state lines to haul them in to face the judge......
They walk.
Everyone in Maine is upset about this right now, but it looks like it's going to stand.
This is how it has ended.

60 hours of community service to be serve between the two of them. And they are allowed to keep 4 dogs.

http://www.keepmecurrent.com/american_journal/news/article_bf6066fe-5647-11e0-9cd0-001cc4c002e0.html

Keep your eyes open for these two. They're liable to show up in your state after their 60 hours of heavy lifting are served.

How can they allow them to have dogs!?!?! That is the most shocking to me.

Thank-you Ingrid,
Those of us not as legally astute hadn't picked up on that little nicety. So everything disappears after about a year and a half and they can go on with business as usual.
Great just great.

Naive me. Somehow I'd rather thought small things like jumping bail, failure to appear and having to be hauled back in the backseat of a police cruiser across state lines were kinda like something serious.
Guess not.

I'm not the only one disgusted with the whole thing.
http://www.pressherald.com/news/Buxton-police-chief-outraged-by-puppy-mill-deal.html

There's a lot of people that are stomping mad in the state O'Maine today.

 Quote: randy allen

Thank-you Ingrid,
Those of us not as legally astute hadn't picked up on that little nicety. So everything disappears after about a year and a half and they can go on with business as usual.
Great just great.

Naive me. Somehow I'd rather thought small things like jumping bail, failure to appear and having to be hauled back in the backseat of a police cruiser across state lines were kinda like something serious.
Guess not.


I'm not the only one disgusted with the whole thing.
http://www.pressherald.com/news/Buxton-police-chief-outraged-by-puppy-mill-deal.html

There's a lot of people that are stomping mad in the state O'Maine today.

That plea bargain was obscene. It's no wonder the prosecutor didn't communicate with interested parties, and it's no wonder that people are losing faith with our so-called justice system.

Keep this in front of the people and hopefully it'll mean this prosecutor loses his job at the next election.

Having been in law enforcement, in one form or another, for the majority of my life, I'm not a bit surprised. I'm also, unfortunately, long past outrage.

DFrost

 Quote: david c.frost

Having been in law enforcement, in one form or another, for the majority of my life, I'm not a bit surprised. I'm also, unfortunately, long past outrage.

DFrost

I agree, David. I'm sure you feel as I do that it's quite sad when we find ourselves resigned to this sort of outcome and only feel the sadness that it now brings us knowing nothing more was done to find justice for those poor animals.

I find myself wishing I could encounter them in a dark alley somewhere when no-one was looking and my dog was quite agitated. Oops....that leash just "slipped" out of my hands...so sorry!

Keep your eyes and ears open Dana, you may just get that chance. I don't see them doing anything else but marking time till they can go back to business as usual. If they get busted again, so what, it'll be a first offense all over again too.

Those of us in Maine that harangued every state and SPCA official we could think of for literally years rather knew the state nor anyone else of any authority was really interested in doing anything about that place.
What eventually did finally get the state involved was when the health department traced one of the few diseases that can jump from beast to man back to them.
That is when the proverbial hit the fan.
Yeah, now the state is a hero for saving all the animals they could've rescued years before.

So I guess it's no big surprise they didn't want to press that matter very far, but I kinda thought the justice department would be just a bit put off having to chase their a**es down.

Very forgiving lot if you ask me.
And I have some very indelicate questions I'd like to ask them inre to exactly who can get this kind of forgiving treatment.

I'll make sure JD is at the top of his game if I ever get the chance. These people need to be subjected (at the very least) to what those poor animals were put through.

Perhaps a dose of flesh eating bacteria? I may know where I could "acquire" some... Or maybe a little gangrene or sepsis from a sore that they got from being in a kennel sleeping in filth? I'm sure I could come up with something!

Sorry, just kidding - sort of. I obviously have no sympathy for them and feel that there is no punishment too harsh.

Hello All, I personally had dealings with a ????? Mal breeder in Ga Years ago before hips ratings were mandatory on AKC papers we purchased a Mal Male Pup from a "breeder" who demo'd his sire for his lacking a Sch 3 due to his inability to handle gun shots. His dam although represented as a high quality specimen fo the breed.(yes we thought she was lovely) but couldn't see under her skelaton or Hips. The pups were sold with guarantee this and guanantee that. The bottom line is it was all BS**** We purchased our lovely 4 month old Male Mal who fit in wonderfully with our family and started OB school and AKC training. I wanted to dual title him for sure. When we heard from another owner of his litter mate that she was lame and was xrayed with NO hip sockets and YES PTS. I immediately started to watch our pups gait and he had the slighted gimp. I am sure it would have been hard to notice if you had not really stood there and watched him. I have experiece with Horse soundness so his Gimp bothered me. We made an appt to have him Xrayed. ( very worried at this point) The vet called us that he had severe HP in his R hip and degenerated in the L! WOW, did this catch us off guard as we had already put hours and hours into his training. He understood English, German, and also Hand signals as well as being ready to finish his CH as AKC Ch.
I immediately called his "breeder" who btw is active still in the Mal community. and He said he would replace the dog but we had to return him????? WTH... WE had had him, trained him, we knew he was family safe. REPLACE HIM ??????? Is there such a thing. Initally we went along with is bull* because we didn't know better. Only to be given a pup that had a broken tail and pee'd everytime you looked at him directed. NOT what we wanted. Then to find out the "breeder" was Using OUR training, and OUR dog to stud bitches???? WHAT?? He has HD... and Xrays to prove it. Without a doubt after much discussion, I would be dammed if this "breeder" would take our Mal with all the time and effort we put into him and make him his junior stud dog. We were FURIOUS!!!!! We went and took LT back, made an appt with the vets to have him nuetered immed. the breeder seriously wanted to use him as a stud dog. He was miffed when we told him afterward but in my husbands words sometimes its " beter to ask forgiveness then to ask permission" that went along way in our case. Our Mal was neutered and remained our family pet,friend, and protector. Til he was humanely PTS after suffering a stroke at 12 years of age. He lived with his HP as well He had supplements and etc to help him with any pain he might have been suffering. I am not sure if I can post this (breeders name here but he is definately still preying on the innocent puppy prospects out there) This was a horror story I would love to prevent others from experiencing. LT is waiting for us pain free, chewing on fresh spring grass, fat and sassy! We were the victims of a terrible BS artist for sure. Oh heck... HIS NAME IS MILAN ROWE and he sells pups out of GA/FA.

Just as an FYI - huge walls of text are very difficult to read and tend to get ignored, so paragraphs are your friend!