On Tuesday, July 5, in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, 25-years-old JOSEPH ANGELO JR. (pictured) was sentenced in connection with the investigation into the death of a dog named Taz.
ANGELO was disgracefully handed a six-month jail sentence for two felony counts of cruelty to animals. According to WFMJ, ANGELO will be also under supervision for five years.
Judge R. Scott Krichbaum ordered ANGELO to not “own” any animals. The period of time was not specified.
Online records show ANGELO’s scheduled release is set for January 4, 2023.
While he will resume his useless life, Taz will stay dead!
Abusers serve their sentence and continue with their lives.
Once animals are dead, they remain dead! For this reason, Voice For Us believes that those who kill animals should receive the death penalty. A life for a life!
On January 26, 2022, an employee of Becker Angel’s Rest Pet Cremation Service called the Mahoning County Dog Warden’s Office and said that she had just received a deceased dog for cremation who appeared to have suffered from severe neglect.
The employee also reported that while she was on the phone with the dog’s guardian, she could hear dogs barking in the background and became concerned for their wellbeing.
At that point, the Mahoning County Dog Warden’s Office contacted Animal Charity of Ohio which is the humane society for Mahoning County.
A humane agent went to Becker Angel’s Rest Pet Cremation Service and was greeted by a Struthers Police officer.
The employee provided the deceased dog’s guardian’s name and then took the humane agent to see the furbaby’s body. The furbaby’s name was Taz.
Animal Charity of Ohio wrote in a Facebook post that Taz was emaciated, “there was obvious loss of muscle mass and his eyes were sunken into their sockets. He had pressure sores on his hips and his body was urine stained.”
The employee then placed Taz’s body on the scale and he weighed 21.6 pounds.
“A dog his size should weigh around 50 lbs.”, explained Animal Charity of Ohio.
Believing that Taz had starved to death, a necropsy was ordered and performed on January 28, 2022.
The veterinarian reported deep pressure sores on pelvic points. Taz’s head was sunken in from muscle wasting, his GI tract was completely empty and there was no evidence of stool present. The veterinarian concluded that Taz died from starvation/lack of nutrition.
Meanwhile, on January 27, 2022, an Animal Charity of Ohio agent and Deputy Girty of the Mahoning County Dog Warden had gone to the home associated with Taz’s guardian, on 53 Frank Street in Struthers, to check on the other dogs.
25-years-old JOSEPH ANGELO JR. (pictured) opened the door.
ANGELO told them that Taz had become sick from worms just 7 days before and he treated him with Safe Guard goat wormer. He also said that Taz was eating and drinking and had weighed 190 lbs. just 7 days ago.
ANGELO and his girlfriend, 24-years-old JAMIE RACHELLE BURK (also pictured), had also a dog named JR. JR was visibly thin and covered in urine stains. When the humane agent asked to check the living conditions of the dogs, ANGELO responded they needed a search warrant.
Later that same day the humane agent went back to the home with the search warrant and was accompanied by Struthers Police, a Struthers Code Enforcement Officer, and Deputy Lindsey Carson from the Mahoning County Dog Warden.
“The home was in deplorable condition. The smell of urine was overwhelming. We had to step over garbage all over the home”, said the Animal Charity of Ohio.
On the upstairs floor, officials found the crate that Taz “likely died in”.
The crate was filled with urine and feces-soaked clothes and pee pads.
JR was in a crate that also had urine and feces-soaked pee-pads. He had no food or water in his cage. The humane agent performed the skin turgor test on him and found that he was significantly dehydrated. There was food and water visible in the center of the room but the dogs did not have access to it.
Still on the upstairs floor, in another room, the humane agent found a second dog.
The furbaby was locked in a closet with no food or water. The room was full of garbage, clothing and lying on the floor was a chewed-up mattress.
Officials additionally discovered three adult dogs and two puppies whose guardian was identified as DONNA CHISMARK. Although the five furbabies “were of a decent weight”, they were removed from the home due to its deplorable condition.
All the residents were advised by the Code Enforcement Officer that no living being was to reside at the home.
A total of seven dogs, one cat, and one gecko were removed from the residence and transported to Animal Charity of Ohio for assessment.
On March 17, 2022, the humane agent went before the Grand Jury and presented the evidence pertaining to Taz’s death.
JAMIE RACHELLE BURK and JOSEPH ANGELO JR. were indicted on two felony counts of prohibitions concerning companion animals.
WKBN reports that on March 24, ANGELO and BURK were booked into the Mahoning County Jail and that were scheduled to appear in Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas for their arraignments on March 29, 2022.
Online records show the duo are no longer in custody!
As the Animal Charity of Ohio wrote in a Facebook post, ANGELO and BURK will have to answer for what they did to Taz.
The post concluded with: “Rest In Peace “Taz”. We know you lived a horrible life and died a horrible death. You are in a better place.”
Just imagine if the employee at Becker Angel’s Rest Pet Cremation Service had not put all this in motion…
Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from official news outlets. Links included.
Details may be removed or additional information may be provided in future should such sources report an update.
