NEW PHILADELPHIA A resident of Kelly Street NW has pleaded not guilty to charges of animal cruelty and depriving her dog of food and water. She is scheduled to have a change-of-plea hearing by video link to New Philadelphia Municipal Court on April 27.
Police officer Geoffrey DeMattio found the elderly dog, now called Cayden, wandering in the rain Oct. 5, according to Beth Lewis, facility and adoption coordinator at the Tuscarawas County Dog Pound.
Lewis said Cayden was 10 to 15 pounds underweight and smelled bad when he arrived at the pound. He also has ears so infected that they are dripping with infection, she wrote the next day. One ear is so swollen and scarred that it is curled over and thickened. His teeth are some of the worst I have ever seen. He will need a full mouth extraction.
NEW PHILADELPHIA Two Somerdale women have been found guilty of animal cruelty in a case that involved a cat and nine dogs, including a Chihuahua its owners hid in an oven.
Jessica Wentling and Ashley Kedigh, of 5981 state Route 212, were each found guilty of two charges of animal cruelty and one charge of obstruction of official business by New Philadelphia Municipal Judge Nanette DeGarmo VonAllman. The defendants entered no-contest pleas to all charges in court on Tuesday.
The case started when the Tuscarawas County Humane Society received a tip Nov. 6 about living conditions at the home. On Nov. 13, Humane Officer Jimmy Hitchcock visited the site with three representatives of the humane society, three sheriff s deputies and a social worker from Tuscarawas County Job and Family Services.