Animal cruelty case has sudden ending

HUBER HEIGHTS, Ohio (WDTN) - 2 NEWS was the only news outlet in the courtroom as a couple made a plea deal in an animal cruelty case.

Connie James and Mark Madsen pleaded no contest to one count of negligent animal cruelty and were found guilty.

At issue were the 131 cats and dogs taken last August from the Circle of Love Animal Shelter run by James and Madsen.

"Connie has a heart as big as this world and she took in a lot of animals to try to help them," says her attorney, Jon Paul Rion.

As part of the plea agreement James will be able to own animals again.

"That's a big part of this case," Rion says. "She loves animals and tonight she'll have the maximum number allowed by law."

That number is eight. That's not the only restriction she faces.

As part of a year probation she can't run another shelter in Huber Heights and officials will be able to check her home to make sure she's not violating the agreement.

"We'll be monitoring this closely to make sure there are no repeat issues and we hope today's case and it's outcome is that animal cruelty will not be tolerated," says Mark Kumpf with Montgomery County's Animal Resource Center.

Aside from the year of restrictions, James will have to pay a $250 fine and has a 30 day suspended jail sentence in case she takes in more animals than allowed.

"You can only play the I didn't know any better card once and they played it today," Kumpf says. 

Of the animals James owned, Kumpf says 71 of them were found new places to live while 60 had to be put down because of health or behavioral reasons.