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URGENT! Call Early Mon AM About Puppy Torture
Case/
Jamestown, NY/3-11-00
3/11/2000 Source: vegansbg@earthlink.net
Please call early Mon (3/13/00) morning abt the below horrific case.
City Court: 716 483-7561
District Attorney Office 716 753-4241
By CAROLYN WITT
Jamestown (NY) City Court Judge John LaMancuso has delayed the pretrial
hearing of Jesus Figueroa until Mon to sort out several issues in the
case,
including whether the teen should be granted youthful offender status.
Figueroa, 16, of Jamestown, was charged by
city police with aggravated
cruelty to animals, a felony & two misdemeanor counts of endangering
the welfare of a child following an incident where a puppy
was reportedly
tortured, stabbed, disemboweled & left to die.
The misdemeanor charges were added,
a police report stated, because
Figueroa allegedly showed the animal to two minors. A 14-year-old male
was also questioned in the incident & turned over to the custody
of his
parents pending an appearance in Family Court.
On Fri, LaMancuso said the court will continue
the proceedings at 11:30
am Mon so he can decide the three issues in the case. The first issue,
the judge said, is whether Figueroa should be granted youthful-offender
status, which would seal the record, because the felony charge of
aggravated cruelty applies under agricultural & markets law, not
penal law.
The second issue, LaMancuso said, is
whether the 14-year-old called to
testify in the case should be represented by legal counsel for any
admissions he could possibly make in the case. The youth was in court
with his mother for the hearing.
The third issue to be decided is whether cameras
should be allowed in the
courtroom. Public Defender Kevin Laumer argued the media should not
be
allowed in because a law granting them the right to be in court has
expired.
He said the only way cameras can be allowed in court is for an application
to be made by the media asking for a 1952 law to be declared
unconstitutional. Laumer asked for the $20,000 bail to be reduced.
Assistant District Attorney Billy Coughlin
was opposed to the reduced bail.
He said the puppy in this case was tortured. The assistant district
attorney
said, from a historical standpoint, violent criminals often start with
smaller
incidents such as animal abuse.
LaMancuso said bail will be continued at $20,000.
He also ordered a
psychiatric evaluation of Figueroa. The judge cautioned family members
&
witnesses in the case not to harass witnesses for the prosecution.
The puppy’s owner, Gloria Castellano, was also in
court with Figueroa’s
mother. She said the 16-year-old is innocent & just wants to go
back to
school & get a job.
Susan Carr Grant
Educators For Animal
Rights
Animal
Cruelty & Human Violence
