Charges dropped against woman accused of starving dog

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A Fayetteville, North Carolina, woman was found not guilty of wrongdoing on Monday after a jury listened to testimony in a case involving a dog who was so emaciated that he had to be humanely euthanized. According to the Fayetteville Observer, Stephanie Bates had been facing felony animal cruelty for the death of her three-year-old boxer, “Bruno,” but a Cumberland County Superior Court jury did not find sufficient evidence for the charge to be upheld.

Bates’ dog had to be humanely euthanized in early 2015 – he was put down after suffering cardiac arrest at a veterinary hospital. According to ABC 11 News, Bates had taken Bruno to a veterinarian in 2013 and the dog was diagnosed with gastro-intestinal issues. Several months later, the dog was seen again and his condition had not improved.

A year later – Bates called a veterinarian to request that the emaciated dog be put down – when the veterinarian refused the request, without seeing the dog first, Bruno was surrendered to the Cumberland County Animal Control. The dog was so starved that he could barely stand.

In court, there were two varying expert opinions offered to the jury – on one side, claims were made that Bruno would have died, regardless of the care that he was provided. On the other side, experts testified that Bates allowed Bruno to starve to the brink of death.

The jury sided with those who determined that Bruno would have died no matter what care he was given and Bates was allowed to walk free, without any further charges over her head for the death of Bruno.


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42 COMMENTS

  1. What Ethnic background was the jury made up of ??? This is not ONLY a Slap in the Face to any and all mistreated animals!!! It is a slap in the face to OUR Country as a Whole Nation…

  2. Once the verdict is given it is a done deal!!! This is a very sad out come for that dog that suffered to the very end!!!! Shame on North Carolina ONCE AGAIN!!!!

    • Absolutely I agree a the former gals. People shouldn’t be allowed to eat after doing that to an animal!! I am sick sick sick of seeing people get away w this crap! R u kidding me? Are animals also not made by our higher power of the universe? Isn’t it up to US to not kill other live creatures? And then there r the children who suffer the same fate? Our “GREAT” country can’t even manage to get that right!!!!! Hey, no argument needed! ,it’s all indescribably incompetent from our government and UNACCEPTABLE!!!!

      I have a dog owner who has already gone a week w/o feeding his dogs, locked in a cage, no water or food and has already killed his “favorite even after me talking to him months ago about fleas and I would help him. Then the favorite disappeared, and now, I let them out one night, ( it was not easy) with all the chains wrapped around that pen, but dogs are amazingly agape love animals and still go back. I fed a small amount after they first beelined to to some rainwater before owner came home and beat them I’m sure. They r now back in the pen. I’m heartbroken, and at a loss as to what to do. I have called Spca before and my son does not want me to cause any more problems with the neighbor,, I am stifled, sad and don’t know how to help????

  3. You have to be kidding me! Yes it really sound to me like she was trying to help the dog. Mine would have been to the vet’s until they found a treatment, or it was determined the kind thing to do was to put him to sleep. This POS did nothing to try to help the dog! She just let him waste away. Who knows if something could have been done, she certainly didn’t do much to find out! I hope she rots in Hell!

  4. SHAME ON THAT STUPID, BLIND JURY. THEIR ARE SPECIAL FOODS AND MEDICINE THAT COULD HAVE HELPED HER PET. CRAZY BITCH SMILING IN MUG SHOT. KARMAS A BITCH. AND I PRAY HER DAY IS COMING VERY SOON. MAY GOD PUNISH HER SEVERALLY FOR INTENTIONALLY NEGLECTING HIS CREATION. ANYONE IN THERI RIGHT MIND CAN SEE SHE STARVED THIS POOR SOUL. ROTT IN HELL EVIL SUB-HUMAN!

  5. they just plan DON’T CARE look at that animal the woman needs to be starved to death hope someone beats her ass on the streets, alot seems to happen in Nc, wont be long till this cunt

    • HELL!!!! I don’t THINK IT I KNOW IT!!!! The population “IN THAT AREA ARE FERAL PEOPLE”… THEY would more than likely leave poor OLE GRANDMA in a SNOW BANK to THAW out in the SUMMER and not really care one bit… Just that much food they would not have to use on an old person… They most certainly have NO RESPECT for the LIVES of THEIR PETS & LIVESTOCK!!!

    • I agree backwards and redneck all the way…Seems that there are very few people there who see dogs as part of their family like we do…For some reason dogs to most of them are nothing more than a yard ornament. They see nothing wrong with tying the dog outside 24/7 12 months out of the year..There are no animals rights laws down there protecting animals and the officials dont want them changed either..They see nothing wrong with the way it is now and has been for centuries…they need to move forward into the twentieth century…Its such a shame..I know there are some people down there who are fighting like hell to get the laws changed and trying to protect these neglected animals but they are meeting such strong resistance from law officials and people who back them up that they are even being threatened with bodily harm!!! One was arrested for trespassing (when they really weren’t) for taking pictures for proof of abused animals

  6. And what about this case shows that it’s anything BUT cruelty? If the jury thinks this dog would have died anyway, then why wasn’t there a veterinarian to back this up? That dog suffered for over a year. He probably could not eat because he was sick so she just said, “ok then, don’t eat” and let him suffer. Shame on the attornirs for not finding better jurors who actually CARE about animals. I hate this story. ?????

  7. We are the rescue that took over his care after saving him from the shelter. We were his voice form that day… All the way through the court proceedings. We sat in every court appearance she had….. We worked tirelessly for 4 days to save him, spent thousands of dollars and gave him mOre love, compassion, caring and peace than he had for his whole 3 years with these “humans”. He left this earth knowing we tried, and that he mattered. His condition WAS treatable with medication and a prescribed diet. They NEVER filled or picked up the prescriptions. They neglected his special diet needs and medicine. He was not terminal. The only terminal thing about Sir Bruno… Was the unfortunate fact that these people owned him. A murderer walked away free and clear. And I am still so angry that this keeps happening over and over again. The neglect and abuse and cruelty will NEVER end if the courts/jury keep letting these kind of “people” walk away Scott free. There are no consequences being served…. And a worthy life was lost. His life mattered. And I… Have lost my faith in humanity. We will continue and rescue all the boxers we can…. But this one has broken us… All of us in our organization.

    • Thank you for being Bruno voice. I’m trying not to curse here.
      You are to be comended for what you did for Sir Bruno. That murderous woman was set free but God sees all and she will get hers. Thank ypu for showing Sir Bruno more love and compassion then that sub human did for 3 years. He crossed the Rainbow Bridge knowing he was loved.

    • You Lindsey, were his angel, like Bruno is now yours. Xo thank you for showing him love and care,even if such live and care was so short lived. May this technically guilty woman never adopt an animal again.

  8. That poor dog!!! All because of a stupid, selfish sub human. She needs to be locked up and starved for a couple of weeks. Might wipe the smile off her ugly face. And maybe the jury should join her!!!!

  9. What kind of morons were seated on this jury? How much evidence do you need to see that the dog was obviously starved to death. Wow, unbelievable!

  10. I hope everyone on that jury rots n hell! How can they say the dog would have died anyway ..
    So ok..its ok to starve him bc he would have died anyway. Soooo humans r goin to die anyway..someday..so it must b ok to go ahead n starve them!! Shame on them!!!

  11. WTF??? Who care that the poor dog would have died no matter what care he was given!! If he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, that dumb broad, Stephanie Bates, should have had Bruno put down peacefully, not let him starve and suffer for a whole damn year! Bates should be locked up along with jury!! Prayers are with Bruno!

  12. This Judge obviously has NO compassion towards animals! She should have been proscuted & sent to jail & never allowed to own another animal again! Shame on that Judge! ?????

  13. I have had dogs with gastrintestinal issues, and my dog kept getting tape worms. I would treat her and they would come back, (I live in the country and she is always finding dead stuff). She had a bad reaction to one of the tape worm medications and she became really thin. I was cooking hamburger chicken livers and rice for her every night and she was eating a pound of burger a day. Finally we found a tape worm medication she could tolerate. But in the meantime she looked emaciated even though I was feeding her plenty. In other words we don’t know the whole story so I don’t think we are in the position to judge. I still cook for my dog

  14. Good thing for her that she doesn’t live in Ohio. Goddard’s Law went into effect yesterday….failure to care for a companion animal is now a 5th degree FELONY.

  15. It sickens me that animal abuser in this country can get away with being set free. All states need to follow the Ohio… Felony for all animals abusers. This woman should be banned for life for ever owning any pet again!!

  16. If this is the woman i found here on facebook searching on the name she now has a yorshireterrier??!!! is this even possible? is USA that fucked up that the court will let here have animals in her custody again?

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