Woman charged in deaths of 146 dogs ordered to cooperate with competency evaluation
A woman reported to be terminally ill who is charged in the deaths of 146 dogs at a Mantua Township home has been ordered to cooperate with a competency evaluation as a condition of her bond.
During a competency hearing in Portage County Court of Common Pleas Friday for 69-year-old Barbara A. Wible, Judge Laurie J. Pittman said the evaluation had not been done. The hearing has been rescheduled for Feb. 2. The evaluation was ordered in October, according to court records.
It has been reported that Wible is dying of cancer. She did not appear during the hearing, either in person or remotely.
Shawn Burns, Wible's attorney, told Pittman that it is his understanding that Wible has been undergoing treatment, including radiation, which has delayed the evaluation. He said he believes the current round of treatments will be concluded sometime this coming week and the evaluation, by Psycho Diagnostics Clinic in Akron, can be finished "in short order."
Prosecutor Connie Lewandowski, however, requested that Pittman revoke Wible's personal bond. She said Psycho Diagnostics has tried contacting Wible several times and Wible has "refused to speak with them."
"I believe the defendant is using her medical situation to avoid Psycho Diagnostics and further delay these proceedings," said Lewandowski.
She added that the prosecution has not seen medical records pertaining to Wible's diagnosis and prognosis.
Burns said Psycho Diagnostics has not contacted him with concerns and that the defense is working on providing Wible's medical records to the prosecution.
He also said that he will make sure Wible understands that she is required to cooperate with the evaluation.
Pittman said the case against Wible is "serious" but also "complicated," and she understands that Wible's condition could be causing the delays. She continued Wible's bond, but with a condition that Wible cooperate with the evaluation.
A Portage County grand jury indicted Wible on 146 counts of fifth-degree felony cruelty to a companion animal this past summer. This came after the Portage County Animal Protective League executed a search warrant at a Mantua Township home Wible owns in mid-June and reported finding 146 dogs, all dead.
The indictment had alleged that the offenses took place between Aug. 5, 2022, and June 16, 2023. However, also on Friday, Wible was arraigned on an amended indictment that changes the start date to Jan. 1, 2022.
In a related case, Canine Lifeline, Inc., the non-profit rescue organization Wible headed, is charged in Portage County Municipal Court in Ravenna with 25 counts of first-degree misdemeanor cruelty to companion animals. As of Friday, a plea hearing is scheduled for this coming Thursday.
In Cuyahoga County, an indictment against Wible includes 36 counts of fifth-degree felony cruelty to a companion animal. The charges are in connection with three dozen dogs showing signs of neglect and malnourishment found at a Parma home, also in June.
A dozen dogs were dead, three were subsequently euthanized and 21 were taken to a local shelter.
Wible is scheduled for a Jan. 16 pretrial hearing in that case.
Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Woman charged in deaths of dogs to undergo competency evaluation
