Highly publicized cases involving charges of animal cruelty and abuse often prompt pet lovers to react by organizing and holding public assemblies to express their outrage.
A good example of such a gathering took place recently at the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office in Cleveland. Animal rights supporters staged a rally in support of Duke, a dog that was discovered severely malnourished and chained to the floor in a Euclid home in January.
Two Euclid residents, 23-year-old Trevonte Epps and 18-year-old Dazia Chuppa, had a pretrial conference on April 8 at the Prosecutor’s Office for their alleged roles in the death of the young boxer-mix. Although the defendants didn’t publicly appear, a group of around 30 people lined up beside the towering building, bracing against the strong winds to wave signs in support of Duke.
The rally, dubbed online by its organizers, the Nitro Foundation, as a “peaceful rally… where they will be the voice for Duke” was a way, according to attendees, to remind prosecutors that this case is a serious matter.
Sharn Adams told The News-Herald’s Frank Mecham that she came down to make a statement against animal abuse, adding that her family has adopted a dog from the shelter and has quickly become a member of their family.
“We are tired of animal abusers, we have a pit bull that we got from the shelter, and we just think it’s terrible how everybody just treats dogs, whether they are pit bulls or other dogs,” Adams said. “People just do not take care of their animals, and we have to let people know that it’s not acceptable.”
Linda Goldstein said that she was following the case since the defendants were first charged. Goldstein added that she was part of an email chain that shares these types of stories, and she found Duke’s case particularly disheartening.
According to a police report, the dog was found at Epps’ and Chuppa’s 25450 Shoreview Ave. residence in January, “chained up in the garage with debris covering the dog. The dog was unable to get up and move around.”
When Duke arrived at the emergency vet, he was having seizures, according to Euclid Pet Pals and statements released by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office at that time. There was no evidence that he had been recently fed, which was causing the neurological issues, the statements said.
According to a Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office February Facebook post, Epps and Chuppa kept Duke inside their garage for months, where he was “chained up, emaciated, dehydrated, hypothermic, and suffering from a severe seizure, there was no food or water,”
Duke was euthanized by Metropolitan Animal Hospital veterinarians shortly after being take in for care.
“This dog did not deserve what happened to him,” Goldstein said. “…he died needlessly at the hands of somebody who mercilessly abused him, and he doesn’t have a voice, so somebody has to be his voice.”
A Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court grand jury indicted both Epps and Chuppa on cruelty to companion animals charges, a fifth-degree felony.
Like any other defendants charged with crimes, Epps and Chuppa are presumed not guilty. They have their right to a trial and to defend themselves on the charges that have been filed against them.
These animal rights advocates are reminding the justice system that people are paying attention to these cases.
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