If your dog runs away in WESTERN District Fulton County, you HAVE to appear in court.
We have an underground electric dog fence, we CARE for our pets, they are vaccinated, wormed, spayed and neutered, and they are a part of our family and have been for 3 years. They are both rescues, one adopted from the Williams County Humane society. The shocking collar malfunctioned, and our boxer mix ran away. The court treated us like criminals, offered NO LOGICAL solution, and simply referred back to the "state's law that places the authority in the local court to determine how UNCLASSIFIED MISDEMEANORS are handled." The dog warden himself testified on our behalf.
My husband and I have had a very sad experience with this court. We aren't familiar with the court system, and it was VERY obvious the clerk assumed we were. After the court clerk failed to inform me of some very pertinent time constraints and illness kept me home with my son, what began as an "unclassified misdemeanor" citation from the dog warden for our dog leaving our property (no bite incident, no damage to property.) turned into a warrant for my arrest, a $500 bond fine, and some very rude and inconsiderate "conversation" from the court clerk. I called the court and informed them that I have a job, and I am home ill with my son and could not appear in court.
Judge Michale J. Bumb is a wonderful man and a reasonable judge. He does what is best for the person he has in his court room. He new me from birth till the day i was married. Thank you judge
A week later, a warrant was issued for my arrest. The Sheriff contacted me out of consideration because they were shocked MY name was on the warrant list. How does the sheriff know us? Because someone broke into our home and attacked our dog with a baseball bat, and we filed a report. So, instead of focusing on putting REAL, dangerous, juvenile criminals in jail, they're issuing warrants for working mom's who's dog ran away. Shocked, I contacted the court. Not only did the court clerk hang up on me on the phone, but the judge did as well. I wasn't cursing, and I wasn't raising my voice.
My husband will be dropping off over $300 worth of fines and court costs to this PUBLIC SERVICE office first thing in the morning. I don't know the folks who work here personally, but I do know that the court clerk was rude, impatience, and lacked discretion. The judge informed me on the phone that he "personally trained that clerk and she wouldn't make a mistake like that...", then stated in front of EVERYONE in court session that it's "not her job to know that kind of information." So, within his own statements, he contradicted himself, failed to acknowledge THE COURT'S mistake, and thus wasted our time, money, and totally lost our trust. Be CAREFUL. This court will issue a warrant and send someone to jail before admitting a mistake made on their part.
"Just doing his job" is what I was told.
Pretty much, if you move to a different county, KNOW your dog laws, and don't count on the local court system to be of any service or advocate for you in any way. They're burnt out, assumed us as a stereotype, and literally just functioned as implementing the law instead of using fair judgement. I understand the environment they are typically exposed to. These clerks and the court probably get cursed at, and the glass spit on. I understand how exhausting it must be. Yet they FAILED to consider the circumstances and act in a fair way. It's sad that our tax dollars support a spineless, mindless scenario as this one. The system is sadly FAILING to protect and advocate for those who obey the law and instead punishing these very same people for the ones who do break the law and don't care about their pets. They actually sent a sheriff to come ARREST me, out in handcuffs in front of my five year old son while he was home sick from school and I had bronchitis, double ear infection, and strep throat... all because our dog ran away.
Fulton Court Western District is a US Courthouse based in Wauseon, Ohio. Fulton Court Western District is located at 224 S Fulton St, Wauseon, OH 43567, USA.
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