Still Fighting for Justice for Braveheart

I spent the morning in court today.

I wanted to see what evil looks like:  I wanted to see the face of someone who could chain a puppy to a car block in a storage locker in August in heat over 100-degrees and leave it there to die.

Today was yet another court date for Gabriel Lee, the man accused of doing just that to the puppy now named Braveheart.

For the backstory, go here.

And for the record, Braveheart is happy, healthy, and doing just fine, now.

Bo and Ronda Spataro, along with the La. Baby Momma Rescue group and other supporters, were in court today to see justice served for Braveheart but were denied yet again; the court delayed Mr. Lee's trial until

Braveheart today

August 26.

"It's frustrating," Bo said after the hearing.  "I feel like they just think we are going to go away and this will all die down, but it won't."  And true enough, every time a hearing date comes up, there are more and more supporters for Brave in the courtroom.  In fact, when we all got up to leave after the delay was announced, we emptied two and a half rows in the courtroom.

KSLA posted a story on today's events.  KTAL TV and KMSS-Fox both were present and interviewed Bo outside the courthouse; when asked what he thought the punishment for Mr. Lee should be, Bo was diplomatic.  He does wish that the court would impose a serious fine and perhaps disallow Mr. Lee from owning another animal "for a significant period of time."

LRS14:102.1 is the statue that deals with felony cruelty to animals which is what Mr. Lee faces:  he could be ordered for a psychological evaluation and treatment and could be banned from owning or keeping animals "for a period of time deemed appropriate by the court."  The defendant could also have to pay for the costs of the evaluation and treatment.  He could be fined "not less than $5,000 nor no more than $25,000"; he could be imprisoned  with or without hard labor for not less than one year nor more than ten.

So.  In a perfect world, the defendant in this case, for doing this:

...should undergo a psych evaluation and a period of treatment; he should be banned from owning or keeping another animal, of any kind, for a very long time, and should be fined $25,000.  He should go to jail with hard labor for ten years.    

We wouldn't tolerate this kind of abuse toward children; why do we tolerate it for animals?