BATAVIA, Ohio — A Bethel resident will spend the next month in jail for animal cruelty.
Back in May, the Clermont County Dog Warden announced that four residents of a Bethel home were charged after 38 dogs and seven ferrets were found in the house "matted in feces and urine." The charges against them are all first-degree misdemeanors.
The dog warden said 34 of the dogs were confined to a single room.
Thursday in court, Clermont County Municipal Judge Nathan Little sentenced Terri Sprague to 30 days in jail. Her sentence also includes probation, a ban on owning pets and court-ordered courses along with fines and restitution.
Before hearing her sentence, Sprague gave a short yet emotional message to the courtroom.
"This is not how I wanted things to happen. That was my babies, and I would have never hurt them," Sprague said. "Not only have I hurt them, I hurt my family too."
WATCH: Hear from the judge, attorneys and defendant inside the courtroom:
Sprague's attorney, Zach Farris, said that she had been suffering from physical and mental health issues. Farris also said she had worked hard to feed and care for the animals.
"It is not the type of home she ever wanted for her animals, let alone herself," Farris said.
In May, we reported that Sprague pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge. However, before sentencing, Farris told the courtroom that she had pleaded guilty to the charges.
The prosecutors in the case even explained to the judge why they didn't recommend a longer sentence.
"This is akin to what I would quantify as mental health. It's clearly a hoarding situation," Prosecutor David Gast said.
Little noted that this wasn't the first time dogs had to be removed from Sprague's home. He said that 50 dogs were taken away in 2015 and 22 dogs were taken away in 2017.
Dog Warden Deputy Sarah Steele spoke during the hearing, addressing the former incidents involving dogs taken from the defendant's home.
"I just want you to understand that the sentence I'm giving you here today, I think, is extremely fair. And it's much, much less than what the recommendations were in this case, based on the mitigation that was provided," Little said.
Following the hearing, I spoke with local animal advocate Jo Wilson, who attended the proceedings. She said she wants to see people guilty of these crimes against animals held accountable.
"These are living, breathing things; they feel pain, they feel starvation, they're God's creation. And we're the voice for the voiceless," Wilson said.
I spoke to Deputy Steele from the Dog Warden's office, who told me that all the animals seized in the spring have been transferred to rescues.
