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Texas man only transports pit bulls, Montgomery County jury told
In Greene County case, attorney for Xenia woman charged tells court she was only keeping pit bulls for her jailed husband.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
DAYTON — Two Dayton police officers testified they could identify one of the dogs they found in a minivan because of one gruesome characteristic: "One of them didn't have any ears whatsoever," said one, Officer Jon Zimmerman.
Minivan owner Ennis Lungs, 42, of Beaumont, Texas, is on trial in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court on 25 counts of possessing a dog for dogfighting and two counts possessing criminal tools.
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Co-defendant Eric A. Lewis, 45, of 43 Boltin St., pleaded no contest Friday to 14 dogfighting counts and three of possessing criminal tools. He will be sentenced Jan. 2 by Judge Jeffrey Froelich, who is Lungs' trial judge.
Both were arrested Oct. 26, 2006, after police said they seized 13 dogs from the home and 26 from the van.
Zimmerman and Officer Ronald Velez told the court they were on patrol in the alley behind Boltin when they drove past Lewis' backyard and noticed dogs in kennels in Lungs' minivan, in kennels in the yard and still others on leashes attached to a fence.
Sgt. Brian Johns testified that Lungs told him he was merely a transporter of dogs and not involved in dogfighting.
"He then stated 'I don't do that anymore,' " Johns said.
Under cross-examination by Lungs' attorney, John Rion, Johns said Lungs offered no other details.
"Did he possess the dogs?" Rion said. "Yeah, but not for dogfighting."
• In Xenia, Natasha Gaither, accused of mistreating four pit bulls, said her husband left her without money to care for them when he was jailed this year in Greene County for drug possession, defense attorney Kenneth Sheets said Monday at Gaither's arraignment.
Sheets said she told him the animals belonged to Torrance Harris, who was breeding them as guard dogs. He is to be released in February, according to jail officials.
Gaither, 26, of 205 S. Columbus St., pleaded not guilty in Municipal Court to four counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty and released. She was charged after one malnourished and three dead pit bulls were found at her home last month.
Sheets said Gaither believes they had the virus Parvo, an intestinal illness, and had no money for a vet. "She was afraid to call anyone official because they were pit bulls," he said.
