ROSS COUNTY, Ohio— A Pike County woman was found guilty of dragging a dog last year down a country road.
Cynthia Colburn, of Waverly, was found guilty Tuesday by Judge Matthew Schmidt of felony animal cruelty charges.
Colburn was indicted in July by the grand jury and charged with a first-degree misdemeanor and a fifth-degree felony for cruelty to animals.
The charges stem from an investigation by law enforcement after pictures showing a dog being dragged behind a car went viral online. Law enforcement found the woman by identifying the car.
At the time, Colburn told investigators that the dog had leaped from the rear driver’s side window and, allegedly unbeknownst to Colburn, was dragged for nearly a mile. People in the area filmed the event.
WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGE:
According to the Ross County Dog Warden, the injured dog was transported to the North Fork Animal Clinic and later to the Ohio State University Veterinarian Clinic for further evaluation. It was there, the warden said, that the injured dog, nicknamed Blake, was humanely euthanized.
In response to the conviction, the Ross County Humane Society said, “For the first time in Ross County, a case of felony animal cruelty was successfully prosecuted.”
Testimony was provided, the Humane Society said, by witnesses to the event, as well as the Humane Society Executive Director Jenn Thomas, Deputy Dog Warden Pam Longlott, and Dr. Anda Young of the Ohio State Veterinarian Clinic.
Sentencing for Colburn is scheduled for March 24. She faces a year in prison and is banned from owning animals.
