Ohio lawmaker wants penalty for mutilation of dogs, cats, other companion animals

In August, a teenager in Miamisburg stabbed a dog multiple times after it was struck and killed by a car. Its corpse was then thrown in a dumpster. An investigation followed, but it resulted in no crime.

Now an Ohio lawmaker wants to make sure that doesn't happen again.

Rep. Tom Young, R-Washington Township, received quite a few calls from Miamisburg residents since the incident, and although an investigation was held by the Miamisburg Police Department, there was no way to hold anyone accountable.

Young introduced legislation Wednesday to establish a penalty for the mutilation of a deceased companion animal.

"I've been a dog owner, my daughter has cats, but when I tell them about this story, they say 'Dad, that's just a messed up, a messed up person did that.'" Young said. "And I've had absolutely no pushback from the community in pursuing this legislation."

The legislation will state that no person, except authorized by law, shall knowingly treat a companion animal corpse in a way that would outrage reasonable community sensibilities.

"Companion animal" pertains to pets, which are the focus of the bill. About 62% of the households in Ohio own a pet, 38% own a dog and 31% own a cat, Young said.

If the defendant is found guilty or pleads guilty, they will be charged with a fifth degree felony, and the court shall require the offender to undergo a psychological evaluation and counseling.

"We need to make sure events like this do not continue to happen, and when they do, those individuals involved receive help to prevent them from going down these dark paths," Young said.

Young was joined by Sgt. Jeff Muncy of the Miamisburg Police Department, who took part in the August investigation.

"When we investigated this, I was aware we didn't have a crime that we could charge — that was certainly very frustrating, not only for the police department, but for the community in general," Muncy said. "We just didn't have a crime and that really upset the community."

In coming days, the bill will seek cosponsors and will be introduced in committee.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Lawmaker wants to establish penalty for companion animal mutilation