Boise prosecutor declines to charge woman hitting dog in video. PETA calls for action
A prominent animal rights group has asked Boise officials to bring charges against a local woman after the city attorney’s office said it did not have sufficient evidence to charge her.
In an “action alert” posted on its website, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, urged followers to “demand that charges be filed for repeated punching of dog in Boise!” The alert refers to a May video originally posted on Snapchat that appeared to show an Eagle woman repeatedly hitting a German shepherd while wearing boxing gloves.
The video prompted widespread outcry on the internet, but the Boise City Attorney’s Office last week told KBOI-TV that it had “insufficient evidence” to pursue animal cruelty charges against the woman, who has not been publicly identified by authorities.
The PETA post told people to “please contact Boise City Attorney Jayme Sullivan and urge her to reconsider this decision,” and included a link to the office’s contact page.
In May, Idaho Humane Society spokeswoman Kristine Schellhaas told the Statesman that its Animal Care and Control division had opened an investigation into the video and made contact with the woman. Schellhaas said at the time that the dog was not removed from the home because it was not deemed to be in imminent danger.
Animal Care and Control does not have the power to file charges. Instead, it forwarded its findings to the appropriate prosecutor’s office for review and legal action.
In Idaho, “beating and harassing animals” is a misdemeanor crime that carries a maximum sentence of up to six months in prison.
