Canfield senator introduces bill to strengthen punishments for abusing animals in Ohio
The Mahoning County’s humane society agents are working with their state representative to strengthen penalties for crimes against animals.
Jane MacMurphy is the exectuive director of Animal Charity of Ohio.
“This area is a hub, unfortunately, for animal abuse and crimes against animals,” MacMurphy said.
In January alone, the Animal Charity of Ohio agents responded to over 100 homes for animal abuse investigations.
“Police dispatched us 50 times just in January, but we went to 105 homes just in January of this year,” MacMurphy said.
According to MacMurphy, Animal Charity of Ohio’s work and posts on social media have called attention to how weak penalties are against Americans who abuse and neglect pets.
“We’re fortunate enough that we have a senator here that is understanding of what’s happening in Mahoning County and throughout the state,” she said. “We’ve heard all over about how weak the animal laws are in different parts of the country.”
MacMurphy said Senator Al Cutrona (R-Canfield) has drafted a bill to increase the penalties for animal abuse and neglect.
“The actual verbiage of the laws will stay the same, but the penalties for them will be higher,” she said. “Right now, most crimes are misdemeanor crimes in the state of Ohio that we see most typically, so everything would be bumped up to the felony level.”
According to Section 959.131 of the Ohio Revised Code, it’s a crime to leave an animal “confined without access to shelter from heat, cold, wind, rain or snow.”
“I’m proud to announce that I’ve introduced a bill to strengthen penalties for animal cruelty here in Ohio,” Cutrona said. “The current penalties don’t reflect the severity of these acts. This bill aims to hold offenders accountable while sending a clear message: animal cruelty will not be tolerated in our state.”
MacMurphy has dedicated her career to saving animals in northeast Ohio since starting as a volunteer in 2017.
She described Cutrona’s help as heroic.
“He came in like a hero,” she said. “It’s one of the worst times for us so far, dealing with animals in need and feeling completely diminished and helpless because of just how bad the situation is with the penalties.”
What to do if you see an animal left out in the cold
MacMurphy recommends calling the Animal Charity of Ohio to report any suspected abuse of neglect so humane society agents can come and make sure animals are safe.
“If you have concerns, just call and report it. We will check it out if it’s something that’s within our jurisdiction,” she said. “We always tell people check on your neighbors, because your neighbor next door might be hoarding cats, and you have no idea until it’s too late.”
“They also may have animals and not have anybody to help them care for them because of their age or disability,” MacMurphy added.
According to Section 1717.13 of the Ohio Revised Code, residents can legally remove abused and neglected animals from their protection from an environment after 15 hours.
