An East Price Hill man, Richard Orth, has been arrested and charged with animal cruelty after his dog was found with severe injuries that resulted in the dog being euthanized. The banner outside Orth's home, stating "Spoiled dogs live here," now hangs in grim irony following the allegations of him strangling his dog. According to Local12, the dog suffered extensive damage to its neck and throat, leaving veterinarians no choice but to put the animal down.
Despite his attorney's assertions of innocence, Hamilton County court documents paint a darker picture, detailing the injuries inflicted upon the elderly dog. Appearing in court yesterday, Orth pleaded not to be the culprit, as his lawyer, Jeff Cutcher, stated that "his client denies strangling the dog." Court records obtained by FOX19 reveal the decision by Judge Samantha Silverstein to set Orth's bond at 10% of $500 for each of the charges, after considering his previously non-violent criminal history.
The case began to unfold when the Hamilton County deputy dog warden was called to investigate the incident that had happened last Friday. Subsequently, Orth was charged with prohibitions concerning companion animals and cruelty to animals. WLWT shared that the veterinarian staff felt immediate euthanasia was necessary due to the serious nature of the injuries.
Orth is currently being held at the Hamilton County Justice Center, awaiting proceedings. With the evidence compiled by Deputy Dog Warden Aarron Harrison, which he documented in the court filing, the narrative of the case against Orth has thus been set. Harrison wrote, "strangled his elder dog, causing serious injuries that resulted in the immediate need for vet staff to euthanize the animal," a statement which, according to FOX19, was presented during the court session.
