Portage County judge delays dog rescue's plea hearing in case of 146 dogs found dead
A plea hearing for a rescue organization in connection with 146 dogs found dead at a Mantua Township home has been rescheduled.
The hearing was continued to March due to a pending competency evaluation of the organization's leader.
Canine Lifeline, Inc. is charged in Portage County Municipal Court in Ravenna with 25 counts of first-degree misdemeanor cruelty to companion animals. Barbara A. Wible, the non-profit's president, represented the organization on video during a plea hearing Thursday morning.
It has been reported that Wible, 69, is terminally ill with cancer. She told Judge Mark Fankhauser that she currently is in Parma and "transitioning" to hospice care. She did not make any additional statements.
Wible is charged with 146 counts of fifth-degree felony cruelty to a companion animal in a separate, related case in Portage County Court of Common Pleas. After determining that a competency evaluation ordered in that case had not been completed, Fankhauser ordered that the plea hearing be rescheduled for March 1.
Due to the uncertainty of the competency evaluation, Prosecutor J. Jeffrey Holland said he would try to subpoena someone else from Canine Lifeline to represent the organization at that hearing.
No attorney representing Canine Lifeline was present at Thursday's hearing, and no attorney could be identified in online court records. Canine Lifeline did not respond to an email seeking comment.
The most recent post on the site, dated July 5, 2023, said Canine Lifeline's "rescue work is ending" and thanked supporters and volunteers.
The Portage County Animal Protective League found the deceased dogs at the Mantua Township home owned by Wible in mid-June. Wible is scheduled for a Feb. 2 competency hearing in the felony case.
Wible also faces three dozen similar felony counts in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas in connection with 36 dogs found in early June at a Parma home. Those dogs allegedly suffered from neglect and malnourishment, with 21 of them reported to have survived.
Wible is the only individual named as a defendant the court cases.
Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Portage judge delays rescue group's plea hearing in deaths of 146 dogs
