High Caliber K-9 operator Steve Croley, 37 has starved and killed at least 19 dogs that were trusted into his care at this 'training facility'.
October 22, 2008 @ 5:51 p.m.
YOUNGSTOWN — A professional sign out front belied the fact that dead and starving dogs were in the back yard of High Caliber K-9. The business at 1516 Coitsville-Hubbard Road promotes itself as a center for dog training, grooming and boarding. It also offers “doggie day care,” underground fencing, dog importing and stud service.
Kyle Ziegler and Joe Borosky, Animal Charity humane agents, went to the business Wednesday afternoon after a woman called and complained that she couldn’t get her dog back from the man operating the place. The agents knocked but no one answered so they got permission to look from the next-door neighbor’s back yard.
What they saw made them call police.
“We found seven dead and eight skinny, neglected dogs," Borosky said. “We’re filing 15 counts of animal cruelty and animal neglect against the owner.”
Records show the business is operated by Steve Croley. He was expected to be arraigned today in municipal court.
Following a recent raid, he is to be charged with just 4 cases of cruelty, after officers at the scene went in immediately to rescue seven dead and 12 starving dogs within the death camp at the time.
The Facility
Passed a long time ago - and no one noticed??
Puppies living next to the dead...
More Info here:
NITRO FOUNDATIONhttp://www.nitrofoundation.com/graphic-photos.htmlThis is NITRO before
and after he became a victim of Steve Croley:
This is Nitro...dead. He was locked in this cage, left to die with no food or water.
From the NOTRO website:
Our Story
This was not Nitro's first visit to High Caliber but sadly it would end up being his last.
Nitro lived the typical suburbia New York life with his doting family and litter mate, Bella. A family that cooked scrambled eggs for breakfast for them, labored with love on sewing holiday costumes, including them as members of their family in celebrations, vacations, and the many activities of life; a life any dog would be fortunate to live. It was obvious from the beginning, Nitro was the classic, determined Rottie with a high working drive and High Caliber K9 came highly recommended through Nitro's breeder as a positive outlet and focus for him to be the best dog he could be.
Steven S. Croley, the owner of High Caliber K9 appeared to be the charismatic, gifted dog whisperer and Nitro's family did all the necessary tasks ensuring his background was genuine and without blemish, including an 8 hour drive to be guests of Croley at his facility with impressive results. For 2.5 years a successful working relationship and bond soon developed with Croley and naturally a friendship quickly followed including social engagements and outings with all the makings of a trusted alliance.
When a critical medical emergency developed, Nitro's family found themselves in a dilemma of commuting for long periods of time back and forth to New Jersey putting a strain on the pets in their home. Nitro being highly protective proved this to be increasingly stressful on him.
Croley's facility and program of a summer dog camp seemed to be the perfect solution. Not only would he be safe with someone they thought they knew and trusted but Nitro could also work on his training in a secure and safe environment. Nitro was a very reserved dog and not inclined to trust easily and naturally any lingering doubts they might have had regarding Croley had dissolved long ago, since Nitro thrived in Croley's presence and doting attention. This combined with their successful 2.5-year history with Croley only reinforced he was trustworthy. They would never have thought in a million years they could and would be so utterly and devastatingly wrong.
Croley's many different versions of his account of what took place are not only conflicting but unclear and to this day he has yet to openly acknowledge his self-absorbed criminal actions and remorse for the unspeakable suffering which he was responsible for. The suffering of these dogs was not out of sight and out of mind; Croley lived on the same property of the kennels and the training area was his own backyard. He was meticulous about the grounds always displaying freshly-cut grass even while the dead carcasses of dogs were decaying in the kennels in the back. Alleged drug use is reported to have been the motivating factor in robbing these dogs of the basic necessities of life with the money paid to ensure their care instead being used to feed an alleged drug addiction.
A further crime and travesty of justice occurred after the original crime; Croley was originally charged on 19 counts of animal cruelty for starving 19 dogs, 8 of which died with only misdemeanor provisions and penalties regardless of the severity of this crime, courtesy of Ohio's outdated legislation. To top this off, due to a legal technicality 15 of those original 19 charges were dropped and Nitro's life was one of them. Croley was charged just 4 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty and was granted a plea bargain sentencing him to only 4 months in county jail with 13 days credited already having been served. He was released on Mother's Day 2009.
Ohio continues to rank at the bottom of animal protection legislation. The degradation of our Nation as a whole by the state of Ohio continues into the 21st century and only through legislation that allows for prosecution of animal cruelty with stronger penalties imposed on those found guilty, will Ohio be on the road to becoming a just and compassionate State.
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INFO:
If you care about dogs and want to play a part in raising awareness and stopping this abuse, please join this group.
https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=55879709808Nitro's page -
http://www.nitrofoundation.com/index.htmlRIP Nitro.
************** UPDATE ***************
Dog Killer High Caliber K-9 Owner Gets Jail Time for Starving Dogs
By Admin - Deanna, on January 23rd, 2009 | Comments (7)
Steve Croley, owner of High Caliber K-9 kennels, where 7 dead and 12 starving dogs were found in October was sentenced to jail time this week in accordance with a plea agreement reached in December. Originally charged with nineteen counts of animal cruelty and neglect, Croley was arraigned on only four counts in court due to some procedural situations which you can read more about in the original story.
The plea agreement was that Croley plead no contest to 4 misdemeanor animal cruelty charges and the sentence would be 30 days in jail on each count; restitution of $1,646 to Animal Charity, a humane agency on South Avenue that rescued dogs from the property; and a provision that Croley not own or harbor animals during his probation.
Although the judge could have imposed more time and fines than worked out in the plea deal, up to 90 days in jail and $750 fine for each count, Croley would have had the option to then withdraw his plea and go to trial. Judge Robert A. Douglas Jr. basically stuck with the agreement.
Even as Judge Douglas said he found it hard “to understand what happened, why it happened,” he only sentenced Croley to 4 months jail, with 13 days served, the time he sat in jail prior to posting bail, restitution of $1,796 and serve three years’ probation, during which time he is not allowed to own or harbor any animal. He was also fined $1,000 and has six months to pay the fine and restitution.
“We feel good about the decision,” Nikole Owen, Animal Charity chief executive officer, said after court. “Initially we thought he would not receive jail time.”
I think the judge should have imposed the max at the very least, let Croley withdraw his plea and sent it to trial. I find it hard to believe that any jury could have sat through the trial, listened to the testimony of the horrors found at that hellhole, seen the pictures and not found him guilty! They would have charged the judge to throw the book at the whining bastard!
So for his crimes, only a few of which he could even be prosecuted for, Croley gets a slap on the wrist. Fifteen charges dropped and all of them only misdemeanors because Ohio doesn’t have felony laws for animal cruelty, 7 dead dogs that suffered horribly get no justice.
The grieving owners cannot get any satisfaction by filing a civil suit because Croley basically has nothing so no lawyer is going to take a case where there is nothing to even go after.
NO JUSTICE! This whole thing goes so far beyond sickening me it’s not even funny!
source:
http://fortheloveofthedogblog.com/news-updates/dog-killer-high-caliber-k-9-owner-gets-jail-time-for-starving-dogs VIDEO: Dead and Emaciated Dogs, Fire Captain at Center of Investigation!
http://fortheloveofthedogblog.com/news-updates/dead-and-emaciated-dogs-fire-captain-at-center-of-investigation-video
Sat Feb 19, 2011 11:29 pm