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Shelter owner withdraws plea to animal cruelty charges

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By Nancy Bowman, Contributing Writer 11:14 PM Friday, December 16, 2011

A scheduled sentencing Friday for the former operator of the closed One More Chance Rescue and Adoption in Piqua didn’t go forward at the last minute because Jeff Burgess, 57, of New Carlisle asked to withdraw his plea to animal cruelty charges.

Stacy Wall, Piqua city law director, told those waiting for the sentencing in Miami County Municipal Court that the hearing was continued to allow lawyers for Burgess to file a motion to withdraw his guilty pleas to misdemeanors of animal cruelty and failure to immunize 98 dogs against rabies.

The animal rescue was closed after the health department found 98 dogs and a litter of puppies living in unsanitary conditions with inadequate food and water, no heat and no light, according to court documents. The dogs have since been adopted by new owners.

Burgess was sentenced in a separate case in Clark County to five years of probation and 90 days of electronically monitored house arrest. He was convicted in that case on five counts of animal cruelty in a case involving nearly 400 dogs he was keeping in Bethel Twp., Clark County.

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