© Robert Scheer/IndyStar A dog looks toward an officer with Indianapolis Animal Care and Control on a day that saw temperatures hit 10 degrees below zero, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019. The officer left a note on the owner’s door, corralled the dog, and brought it into the facility.
Indianapolis Democrats are pushing for harsher penalties for animal cruelty in Indiana.
This week Sen. J.D. Ford, a Democrat whose district includes parts of western Indianapolis, introduced Senate Bill 41 to the 2023 state legislative session. It would enhance various animal cruelty crimes from a level 6 felony, which has a sentencing range of six months to 2 1/2 years’ imprisonment, to a level 5 felony, which ranges from one to six years.
In an email that described his support for SB 41, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, also a Democrat, said the theme is one of his office’s legislative priorities this year after receiving feedback from citizens.
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Residents were galvanized by the August arrest of four people in connection with the violent death of a dog named Deron. The dog appeared to have been stabbed and choked before its death, and was found in a dumpster.
One of the defendants, Clifford Massey, had adopted another dog the same day Deron was adopted in July. On the day Massey was arrested in early August, the second dog was located and placed in the care of Indianapolis Animal Care Services.
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“We too often hear terrible stories of animal cruelty in Indiana, including in Indy just a few months ago,” Ford wrote on Twitter. He said he introduced SB 41 to “ensure that the penalty for animal cruelty better aligns with the crime after listening to the folks who want justice for animals in these cases.”
The criminal cases against Massey and two other defendants allegedly tied to Deron’s death — Zech Thomsen and Denita Hughes — are moving through the courts. A jury trial is scheduled for March.
Call IndyStar courts reporter Johnny Magdaleno at 317-273-3188 or email him at jmagdaleno@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @IndyStarJohnny
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Bill seeks harsher sentences for animal cruelty after death of Indiana dog named Deron