Andrea Rosebrock 
Welcome to another edition of Justice Round-Up where we follow-up on a few of the stories that have previously been posted and let you know what happened. You can judge for yourself if justice has been served or not and I can tell you, most of the time it doesn’t even come close!!
Benton County Animal Shelter
Three individuals accused of committing animal cruelty and neglect by failing to provide the necessary care for the animals at the shelter. The background story is HERE.
Jacqueline Boyett (Animal Control Officer) – sentenced to 11 months and 29 days of probation and 10 days of jail time. She was fined $250 and will have to serve 40 hours of community service. Boyett also pled guilty to a drug charge, which stemmed from a separate arrested during her time as Animal Control Officer.
Gilbert Andrew Jourdan III (Animal Shelter Employee) – also sentenced to 11 months and 29 days of probation and 10 days of jail time. He was fined $250 and will have to serve 40 hours of community service.
Mayor Jimmy Wiseman – charges dismissed. Judge Larry Logan dismissed the charge, ruling that Wiseman didn’t knowingly commit a criminal act and wasn’t responsible for the actions of shelter workers.
Source: Pet-Abuse.com
Bill Whiting and Edna
Victor Rodriquez and a couple of his knuckle-dragging friends kidnapped Bill Whiting’s dog, Edna and held her for ransom. Deanna’s initial article is HERE. The investigation into this crime hit a brick wall thanks to the bureaucratic incompetence by Verizon.
Victor Rodriquez was convicted of four misdemeanor charges: theft by extortion, conspiracy, terroristic threats and harassment/stalking. He was sentenced to a juvenile treatment facility in western Pennsylvania. He is now out on parole. His accomplices were never identified or brought to justice.
And the saddest part of this is? Edna has never been found.
Source: Philadelphia Daily News (Note: articles are now archived)
Ray Stanfill, Gage
The trigger-happy, former criminal justice professor of Bossier Parish Community College shot and killed his neighbor’s dog, Gage. Gage was in his own yard behind a fence. Stanfill said he was looking for snakes. Too bad he didn’t check the bathroom mirror that day. Click HERE for Deanna’s article.
He was officially charged with “Aggravated Felony Animal Cruelty,” but was found guilty of “Simple Animal Cruelty,” a misdemeanor.
His sentence: Six months jailtime, suspended. Ordered to do 180 Consecutive days (8 hour days) of community Service at The Bossier County Animal Control Center. Two years active probation. Fined $1,000 plus court costs. Pay $1,000 restitution to Gage’s owners. And ordered to pay his probation officer $55.00 a month for the entire two years that he is on probation.
That’s not all. (Please don’t shoot the messenger.)
On July 1, 2009, the Second Circuit Court of Appeal of Louisiana vacated most of his sentence. He only has to serve 5 days community service. That’s it. You can view the full PDF document from the court HERE.
Joseph Gutierrez
Another trigger-happy dolt. This former Teton County Sheriff’s Deputy shot and wounded a dog owned by Leonel Barboza. He was investigating a dog complaint. Stepped into the yard, demanded the dog, and shot him. No warrant. No threat of attack. Read the story HERE.
He plead guilty. He admitted he “entered the property of another and, being unprovoked, intentionally and without the consent of the animal’s owner, kills or injures a domestic animal not his own.”
Gutierrez was sentenced to 30 days in jail, with 25 days suspended and 5 days on the sheriff’s inmate labor detail. The court also required Gutierrez to pay a $100 fine and serve 6 months of unsupervised probation. The court granted a withheld judgment.
A few months after he shot the family’s dog, he resigned. Gosh, golly, gee, whiz.
Source: 2News.TV
That’s it for this submission. I sit here and just shake my head.
Thanks Andrea! So much for the “justice” in Justice Round-Up!
D.
You know seeing how these inocent animals can’t seem to get justice from our so called legal system I think folks should just g* a** g** t**** N* G*** L**** S.O.B’s A** . This would definitly be my game plan if some no good lousy S.O.A B n B***** harmed a single hair on my babies heads. And what the hell is up with these SOB’s getting their sentences suspended. These people that let these miserable POS walk need their heads examined, serieously!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh my God, can it get any worst. These stories are unbelievable. It sickens me to know that the very people who were suppose to protect and care for animals are themselves the abusers and inhumane. There has to be more done, how would these people like to be put a food deprivation, no medical treatment and the other stores are hard ones to read about as well. What is wrong with the population today anyway.
This is more than a kick in the teeth. We fought so hard to get the law changed in La. To make Stanfills actions a aggravated cruelty charge. We won that fight and NOW it is aggravate cruelty to an animal. And to hear the his crappy sentence in the first place was reduce to nothing is to hard to bear. I really don’t know what else to say at this moment. I need time for this to sink in. Still in shock
Oh no, you mean you weren’t aware of this, that no one in law enforcement or the judicial circles had the courtesy to inform you of this hypocrisy? My heart goes out to you and your family. I know how hard you fought to get justice for your baby and this is the worst kind of slap in the face. You have my sincerest condolences!
D.
That sucks. I’d bring issue with this Mrs. Burke. In the decision PDF, they mentioned Stanfill’s background as a former parole officer and criminal justice professor. Good ol’ Boy Network keeps running through my mind. The last page of the PDF suggests resentencing could be done.
I’m really sorry you had to find out this way. Good Luck.
Hey, what a great place for man’s best friend. If we aren’t leaving them in cars and baking them to death, or taking them from loving and caring owner’s just because the owner is poor and down on their luck and we “HAVE AUTHORITY”, we can instead shoot them and tell what ever lie we wish…and GET OFF…. ‘cuz gee, golly, whiz not only do dogs not talk but dead dogs tell no tales.
Just to make things even better for our “best friend”….we can hope that we have police, mayors, judges and appellate court rulings like the idiots in these cases who are either liars, morons, or on the take. If we are really lucky….maybe all three. In Gage’s case, it must have been all three…..as Gage was lying, wounded and dying on his side of the fence. Gee Mr. Judge of the Appellate Court, did that not enter into your brain, even a momentary passing thought. Guess not, as you decided to believe the lying murderer, and his only witness HIS WIFE rather than the hundreds who knew Gage and, of course, the forensic evidence. I hope people remember you at the polls next time, but then LA has terrible animal protection laws and record, so maybe the good citizens there think you are swell. I think you are another word that rhymes with it.
My VOTE….WE NEED to start our own America’s Most Wanted list..maybe a State Registry of Animal Cruelty Offenders too…..PICTURES and all. WARNING: DOES THIS PERSON LIVE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD! What a great day for JUSTICE….NOT!!!!
Thanks for the info, depressing as it is. It makes clear that laws have to be changed and more importantly we need some way to make sure they are enforced! It’s sickening how little animal abusers/killers have to fear. And that story about Edna has haunted me for ages now. I feel so bad for those who loved these animals, this must be a final slap in the face for them.