My Friend Pled Guilty Thursday in Tennessee; Receives Two Year
Probation and Fine
By Diana L. Chapman
My friend Bonnie Sheehan, who has rescued thousands of dogs in and
around Long Beach, pled guilty this week to 14 misdemeanor charges of animal
cruelty in Tennessee after a failed attempt to transport her dogs across
country. She received two years
probation and a $500 fine and is prohibited to have any animals during her
probation.
Sheehan,
55, ran Hearts or Hounds in Long Beach for 15 years but decided to leave the
area due to the souring economy. In
January, she and a friend, Pamela King‑McCracken, were taking 140 dogs in a U-Haul trailer to a farm in
Virginia they recently purchased when they were stopped by state patrol
officers.
Following
the guilty pleas, the judge refused to expunge her record although she has no
criminal record. All charges against Pam were dropped. Bonnie told the court that, as the driver, she was to blame.
Bonnie built a loyal following with her adoptions
in California, and supporters raised thousands of dollars for attorney fees.
Several went to Tennessee to testify on the two women's behalf.
"We
are so grateful we had all this support," Bonnie told me this week as she drove
to Virginia with a great sense of relief that she won't be headed back to jail.
"We are blessed. I'll always go through life so humbled by the people who
did so much."
The
officer pulled them over on I-40 in Tennessee and called in animal control officials. The two women were plunged into a world of
turmoil and were charged with felony animal cruelty for allegedly overcrowded
conditions. While Pam was able to post her bail, Bonnie spent seven days in
jail.
The
women can relax at last, said a friend.
District Attorney General Mike Dunavart, who prosecuted the case,
told news media that Bonnie basically took all the blame to save her friend.
"She is absolving Ms. McCracken," Dunavart told the
media. "She's essentially falling on the sword and saying: 'I abused them.
I am responsible.' "
It doesn't surprise me that Bonnie
would do this for Pam, a stalwart volunteer who had religiously helped Bonnie
in her full-time quest to save thousands of small dogs.
For me, it's sad the two women didn't
make it to Virginia this time. If they had, her supporters likely would have
been celebrating huge numbers of adoptions instead of working so hard to keep
the women out of jail. In an earlier visit to the farm, Bonnie had adopted out
28 dogs with many other adoptions pending, waiting for the other dogs to arrive.
While Bonnie was obviously relieved, it
makes me sad that it came to this after seeing news reports of people cutting
dogs heads off, torturing animals in horrible ways and still others putting
dogs in illegal dogfights where they are often maimed or killed. Football
player Michael Vick -- after being found guilty for holding horrendous dog
fights wants to adopt a dog for his children.
But not Bonnie for the next two years?
Please.
On the other hand, Bonnie has
dedicated her life to taking dogs from death's door, cleaning them up, treating
them for illnesses like mange and making them beautiful again for adoption. This
is how my 83-year-old mother adopted Dara, a 3-year-old Havanese. The two are inseparable. My sister adopted Lily, another Havanese, and my family brought home a bearded collie/poodle
mix we call Baxter.
Bonnie, who has been haunted by the
loss of the dogs, several of which were her own personal animals, is ready to turn
the page.
"I'm going to have a normal life
now," she said. "I can go to work at Rite Aid."
No comments:
Post a Comment