Arrest warrant issued for GARY L. SMITH JR. who shot, strangled, and buried 2 dogs in his backyard
- voiceforus
- May 18, 2022
- 2 min read
- Ohio, USA -
An arrest warrant has been issued for 42-years-old GARY L. SMITH JR. (pictured), accused of shooting, strangling, and burying two dogs in his backyard.
The murders were committed in 2020, but SMITH has been skipping out on court dates for over a year.
Following a complaint, on January 27, 2020, a Humane Agent with the Animal Charity of Ohio went to SMITH’s property on Martin Road in North Benton and discovered six dogs.
Four of them were alive and had been starved. Two were sadly deceased.
The lifeless furbabies were found in shallow graves behind the home.
All the VOICELESS VICTIMS were American Bulldogs.
The offenses are alleged to have been committed January 15 to 25, 2020.
The Animal Charity of Ohio filed charges against SMITH on January 27, 2020.
Reportedly, SMITH senselessly and cowardly retaliated against the innocent dogs due to an ongoing domestic situation with a woman.
At the time, SMITH was arrested on four felony animal cruelty charges and two misdemeanor charges of attempted animal cruelty.
He was taken to the Mahoning County Jail from which he was released nearly a week after posting $20,000 bond.
On February 6, 2020, a Mahoning County grand jury indicted SMITH on four felony animal cruelty charges, two of them with specifications alleging that he used a gun.
On February 19, 2020, SMITH appeared in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court for his arraignment before Magistrate James Melone and pleaded not guilty to four counts of animal cruelty which include two specifications that he used a gun.
SMITH was released!
A trial date was set for April 27, 2020.
In the meantime, SMITH had voluntarily surrendered the four dogs to the Animal Charity of Ohio.
According to The Vindicator, “The Animal Welfare League of Mahoning County was granted the right to adopt the dogs to a third party or otherwise dispose of them as it deemed appropriate, the judge ruled.”
Prosecutors have called this case of animal cruelty one of the “most significant” ones filed under Goddard’s Law.
Ms. Jane MacMurchy, Animal Charity of Ohio operations director, said: “It gives you nightmares. Torturing them, killing them, starving them for his own personal gain. That's just what evil is.”
In April 2021, SMITH stopped showing up for court and had a bench warrant put out against him.
Ms. MacMurchy said that makes working the case especially frustrating. “We have no closure, there's no justice for these animals. It is one of these cases that lingers over all of our heads.”
She also added: “We don't know where he is and we don't know if he is out there abusing other animals...we just hope that somebody turns him in or he turns himself in.”
If you are aware of this filthy murderer’s whereabouts, please, do the right thing and call the Animal Charity of Ohio at (330) - 788 - 1064. Thank you!
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I pray this loathsome twisted f**k is found and made to pay! It never ceases to disgust me that there are horrid humans out there that take pleasure in torturing innocent souls to feed their depravity! RIP PRECIOUS SOULS & please get better to the four Precious Souls that survived this monster‘s horror.