McKinley
September 17th, 2009, 05:13 PM
When this first happened I knew it had to be a Nigger.
http://cmsimg.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=B2&Date=20090916&Category=PETS&ArtNo=909160379&Ref=AR&Profile=1008&MaxW=180&Border=0
Damon D. Bledsoe, 39, of 210 E. Ormsby Ave., was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with second-degree cruelty to animals for allegedly throwing a pit bull off the Clark Memorial Bridge in July.
Man pleads not guilty to throwing dog off bridge
By Peter Smith • psmith@courier-journal.com • September 16, 2009
A Louisville man with a history of arrests has been charged with second-degree cruelty to animals for allegedly throwing a pit bull off the Clark Memorial Bridge into the Ohio River in July.
Damon D. Bledsoe, 39, of 210 E. Ormsby Ave., was arrested on a warrant Tuesday morning without incident, according to Dwight Mitchell, spokesman for Louisville Metro Police.
Bledsoe pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday morning, and Jefferson District Judge Katie King appointed a public defender for him.
Bledsoe, who appeared at the arraignment wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, is being held on a $10,000 bond at Louisville Metro Corrections. King cited Bledsoe's lengthy arrest record in setting the bond.
When King refused to lower the bond at the arraignment, Bledsoe crumpled a paper in his hands and walked off before his hearing was complete, prompting King to issue a warning.
“I can hold you in contempt right now if you would like me to do that, or you can walk out of here respectfully,” she said. “How do you want to do it?”
Bledsoe turned around, flashed a peace sign and said, “Peace.” He was not further charged.
According to the arrest report, four witnesses contacted Metro Animal Services to report that Bledsoe allegedly spoke of throwing the dog off the bridge — and also threatened to “do the same to the witnesses' two kittens or throw their kittens in the sewer,” the report said.
The dog survived the 80-foot fall to the river and was rescued by Louisville firefighters who were nearby on a training exercise. She was adopted by a waitress at Joe's Crab Shack who witnessed the rescue — as did numerous people on the bridge and riverfront.
Bledsoe has been arrested on 99 separate charges since 2002, ranging from domestic violence to disorderly conduct to theft to public intoxication, according to court records.
On May 22, Bledsoe was found guilty in Jefferson District Court for fourth-degree assault in a domestic violence case causing a minor injury, according to court records. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail, but received a "conditional discharge" allowing him to stay out of jail as long as he remained out of trouble the following two years.
On Sept. 30, 2008, he was convicted on that same charge and given a one-year jail sentence, also conditionally discharged if he remained out of trouble the following two years.
He also had five other convictions since that 2008 case — one for public intoxication and two each for disorderly conduct and drinking alcohol in a public place, according to court records.
Bill Patteson, spokesman for the Jefferson County Attorney's office, said prosecutors “as a matter of course seek revocation” of conditional discharges if there are subsequent sentences, but that he couldn't say what occurred in these cases until prosecutors could review the files.
“It is not an automatic” revocation, he said. “It can be discretionary.” He said prosecutors handling the animal-cruelty charge would take Bledsoe's prior record into consideration.
While many of the 99 charges since 2002 were dismissed, several resulted in convictions. Bledsoe has been found guilty of such charges as disorderly conduct, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal trespassing, resisting arrest, loitering, attempted theft and probation violations, according to court records. He was typically sentenced to short jail terms or small fines.
He also faces a Nov. 3 trial stemming from a March 30 arrest — including two charges of fourth-degree assault in a domestic violence case causing a minor injury, two counts of burglary and one each of disorderly conduct, criminal mischief and being a persistent felony offender.
The July 26 bridge incident was witnessed by numerous people at Joe's Crab Shack on the riverfront and by people on the bridge, according to the arrest report.
Kelsey Westbrook, the waitress who adopted the pit bull and named her Sunny, said news of the arrest was “awesome.”
“I was a little concerned that the case was kind of stagnant,” she said, but she praised officers who stayed on the case. “I'm glad that justice is being served.”
She said Sunny has recovered from her minor injuries and is “as happy as she can be.”
She said the dog, less than a year old, still has puppy feistiness but does not behave aggressively. “She's a big baby,” Westbrook said. “She's a 60-pound lapdog. … She's got a little bit of separation anxiety, which I think is expected given what she's been through. I think she trusts me now and knows I’m not going to leave her or put her in danger.”
Earlier this summer, Westbrook faced the loss of her apartment because she had adopted the pit bull, but she said the building got a new landlord who has let her continue residing there — with Sunny.
http://www.courier-journal.com/louisville-news
http://cmsimg.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=B2&Date=20090916&Category=PETS&ArtNo=909160379&Ref=AR&Profile=1008&MaxW=180&Border=0
Damon D. Bledsoe, 39, of 210 E. Ormsby Ave., was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with second-degree cruelty to animals for allegedly throwing a pit bull off the Clark Memorial Bridge in July.
Man pleads not guilty to throwing dog off bridge
By Peter Smith • psmith@courier-journal.com • September 16, 2009
A Louisville man with a history of arrests has been charged with second-degree cruelty to animals for allegedly throwing a pit bull off the Clark Memorial Bridge into the Ohio River in July.
Damon D. Bledsoe, 39, of 210 E. Ormsby Ave., was arrested on a warrant Tuesday morning without incident, according to Dwight Mitchell, spokesman for Louisville Metro Police.
Bledsoe pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday morning, and Jefferson District Judge Katie King appointed a public defender for him.
Bledsoe, who appeared at the arraignment wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, is being held on a $10,000 bond at Louisville Metro Corrections. King cited Bledsoe's lengthy arrest record in setting the bond.
When King refused to lower the bond at the arraignment, Bledsoe crumpled a paper in his hands and walked off before his hearing was complete, prompting King to issue a warning.
“I can hold you in contempt right now if you would like me to do that, or you can walk out of here respectfully,” she said. “How do you want to do it?”
Bledsoe turned around, flashed a peace sign and said, “Peace.” He was not further charged.
According to the arrest report, four witnesses contacted Metro Animal Services to report that Bledsoe allegedly spoke of throwing the dog off the bridge — and also threatened to “do the same to the witnesses' two kittens or throw their kittens in the sewer,” the report said.
The dog survived the 80-foot fall to the river and was rescued by Louisville firefighters who were nearby on a training exercise. She was adopted by a waitress at Joe's Crab Shack who witnessed the rescue — as did numerous people on the bridge and riverfront.
Bledsoe has been arrested on 99 separate charges since 2002, ranging from domestic violence to disorderly conduct to theft to public intoxication, according to court records.
On May 22, Bledsoe was found guilty in Jefferson District Court for fourth-degree assault in a domestic violence case causing a minor injury, according to court records. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail, but received a "conditional discharge" allowing him to stay out of jail as long as he remained out of trouble the following two years.
On Sept. 30, 2008, he was convicted on that same charge and given a one-year jail sentence, also conditionally discharged if he remained out of trouble the following two years.
He also had five other convictions since that 2008 case — one for public intoxication and two each for disorderly conduct and drinking alcohol in a public place, according to court records.
Bill Patteson, spokesman for the Jefferson County Attorney's office, said prosecutors “as a matter of course seek revocation” of conditional discharges if there are subsequent sentences, but that he couldn't say what occurred in these cases until prosecutors could review the files.
“It is not an automatic” revocation, he said. “It can be discretionary.” He said prosecutors handling the animal-cruelty charge would take Bledsoe's prior record into consideration.
While many of the 99 charges since 2002 were dismissed, several resulted in convictions. Bledsoe has been found guilty of such charges as disorderly conduct, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal trespassing, resisting arrest, loitering, attempted theft and probation violations, according to court records. He was typically sentenced to short jail terms or small fines.
He also faces a Nov. 3 trial stemming from a March 30 arrest — including two charges of fourth-degree assault in a domestic violence case causing a minor injury, two counts of burglary and one each of disorderly conduct, criminal mischief and being a persistent felony offender.
The July 26 bridge incident was witnessed by numerous people at Joe's Crab Shack on the riverfront and by people on the bridge, according to the arrest report.
Kelsey Westbrook, the waitress who adopted the pit bull and named her Sunny, said news of the arrest was “awesome.”
“I was a little concerned that the case was kind of stagnant,” she said, but she praised officers who stayed on the case. “I'm glad that justice is being served.”
She said Sunny has recovered from her minor injuries and is “as happy as she can be.”
She said the dog, less than a year old, still has puppy feistiness but does not behave aggressively. “She's a big baby,” Westbrook said. “She's a 60-pound lapdog. … She's got a little bit of separation anxiety, which I think is expected given what she's been through. I think she trusts me now and knows I’m not going to leave her or put her in danger.”
Earlier this summer, Westbrook faced the loss of her apartment because she had adopted the pit bull, but she said the building got a new landlord who has let her continue residing there — with Sunny.
http://www.courier-journal.com/louisville-news