Disappointing end to cruelty case
August 15th, 2008 by admin
In May, sheriff’s deputies found one dead cow and more than a dozen others sick in a field in Sarasota County. The owner of the animals, Dale D. Cheetham*, was arrested and charged with one count of “Confinement of animals without sufficient food/water.” According to court documents, Mr. Cheetham admitted his guilt, saying, “It’s my own fault. I’ve been slacking lately.”
The solitary misdemeanor charge for the starvation death of an animal was disappointing enough, but last week the case ended when Mr. Cheetham reached a plea agreement with prosecutors that includes no jail time and only the payment of court costs.
We are waiting for the day when the torture or neglect of “farm animals” is taken as seriously as when the victims are dogs or cats.
*Dale Cheetham is the owner of an air conditioning business, D & C Air & Heat, in Palmetto.