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Has Ella Died Without Any Justice?
There are
days when I think the old ways of handing out justice (“an eye
for an eye”) should be reinstituted and I feel frustrated that
our legal system fails to protect those who cannot speak up for
themselves – namely children, senior citizens and animals… There
are such things as accidents – that’s why they are called
accidents – but when there is deliberate and calculated harm
done to any of these three entities, justice in our legal system
should be swift and fair.
Take the
example of Ella, a 2-year old German Shepherd that was found in
March, 2008…
Quoting from
Pet-Abuse.com on this case: “A Cocoa woman, who neighbors said
loved her dog, abandoned him in a crate for two months and then
told investigators she knew it would starve to death. Cocoa
police on March 13 arrested Christine Dawn Abrams, 29, on a
charge of cruelty to animals in the death of her two-year-old
German Shepherd, Ella. She is at the Brevard County Jail and
faces a $1,000 bond. Neighbors told police they were concerned
that they had not seen Abrams or Ella for several months. "It
was unusual for Abrams to be away from her home for any length
of time," neighbors said. One neighbor peeked through a window
of Abrams' home on Peachtree Street and spotted the dead canine
inside a locked metal crate. Police searched for Abrams for five
hours and found her at a new address on Parapet Drive, less than
six miles from her former residence.
Abrams told detectives that the water had been turned off at the
house in January and she had to move. She locked Ella in a crate
at the old home because her new roommate did not like dogs.
Abrams told the detectives that she knew what would happen if
Ella was left without food or water for an extended period of
time, the report shows. "Abrams showed no remorse over the
dog," the police report shows. Cocoa Police Department
spokeswoman Barbara Matthews said "this was a dog that was
current on all of his shots. All she had to do was leave the
door open." Police added that there was a bag of dry dog food
just a few feet from the dog's locked crate. (Source:
http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/13362/FL/US/ )
This dog
shares a loving photo with her owner, Christine Dawn Abrams, on
MySpace!
And according
to Police spokeswoman Barbara
Matthews, "This was a dog that was current on all of his shots.
All she had to do was leave the door open." She also could have
dropped the dog off at a shelter.
The Central Brevard Humane Society,
which takes in pets people can no longer care for, is less than
three miles from the Peachtree Street home.
(Source:
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_orlandocrime/2008/03/dog-starves-to.html
)...
Ms. Abrams
admitted the last time she had checked on Ella was January 18,
2008… And she walked out of jail on March 14th, … The
day after she was arrested… And she’s been free to move around
in the general public and community since then…
Ella
certainly wasn’t given that opportunity…
Central
Brevard Humane Society have taken steps to create a memorial to
Ella – a dog walk called “Ella’s Walk” to
commemorating this tragedy in the
hopes she will not be forgotten as her owner forgot her… Others
online have taken up Ella’s cause and memory (http://rahusky.com/Ella.html
)...
Thursday, April 24th, was
to be Ms. Abrams’ date to enter a plea at the Brevard County
Courthouse in Viera. However, the prosecutor in the case hasn’t
made a formal filing of charges yet, which isn’t unusual in a
felony case, according to Lynn Bumpus-Hooper, a spokeswoman for
the State Attorney’s office. Bumpus-Hooper said the State
Attorney’s office is actively investigating the case. The
charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in jail and a
$5,000 fine.
A very similar Brevard County animal
cruelty case went to trial last year. At trial, the defense
argued that the State had no proof that the dog died of
starvation. The County had not performed a necropsy (autopsy)
and the body in question had been destroyed almost two years
previous. The witness for the Brevard County Animal Services
testified that they cannot afford to perform necropsy on every
case and they have very limited space in their freezers to hold
such evidence. On April 16th, someone contacted the
Brevard County Animal Services and was told they have not
performed a necropsy on Ella but they still have Ella's body in
a freezer. However, they could dispose of it at any time.
(Source:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=355546826&blogID=375263322)...
You’ll note the information being received back is that the dog
died of neglect, not cruelty…
Ms. Abrams’ closed the crate, locked
the door and left… Sometime after January 18th, Ella
died a horrible and lingering death… Fifty-five days later Ms.
Abrams was arrested… She spent one night in jail… Ms. Abrams has
been free on bail fifty-six days today and still hasn’t been
formally charged by the State Attorney’s office… WHAT IS WRONG
WITH THIS NATION AND ITS PEOPLE THAT THIS KIND OF STUFF IS
ALLOWED TO GO ON???
Can someone PLEASE explain this to me,
for I haven’t a clue and simply can’t understand this at all…
Deliberately killing a companion animal like this… Showing no
remorse… And the legal system has yet to do something about this
horrible tragedy… And until we as a society step up and say, “No
more… no more simple hand-slaps… no more probation for those
involved in cruelty and abuse to animals… no more… no MORE!...
NO MORE!” absolutely NOTHING is going to be done!
What can you do?
Note: Reference
State of
Florida vs. Christine Dawn Abrams,
Case No. 05-2008-CF-020434
in your communications.
- Write to the
Florida Attorney General’s Office and ask that the maximum
penalty of five years in jail and a $5,000 fine is imposed –
no deals, no probation - Office of Attorney General, State of
Florida, The Capitol PL-01, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1050
Or call 850-414-3300
Or email Attorney General Bill McCollum -
ag.mccollum@myfloridalegal.com - but MAKE SURE to
include your name and full address or else your email won't be
taken seriously!
- Sign the petition
online:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/woman-leaves-dog-crated-in-foreclosed-home-dog-dies
- Contact Norman
Wolfinger at the State Attorney's Office via FAX
(321-617-7542) or via snail mail at Brevard Government Center
Complex, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Bldg. D, Viera,
Florida 32940
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