Dog Starved to Death in Crate with Food outside kennel!

(actual/original alleged Christine Abrams photography
not actual or original german shepherd picture)

Dog starved to death locked in crate
Cocoa, FL (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008
County: Brevard

Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Christine Dawn Abrams

Upcoming Court Dates:
» Friday, Jul 4, 2008

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

A Cocoa woman, who neighbors said loved her dog, abandoned him in a crate for two months and then told investigators she knew it would starve to death. Cocoa police on March 13 arrested Christine Dawn Abrams, 29, on a charge of cruelty to animals in the death of her two-year-old German Shepherd, Ella. She is at the Brevard County Jail and faces a $1,000 bond. Neighbors told police they were concerned that they had not seen Abrams or Ella for several months. "It was unusual for Abrams to be away from her home for any length of time," neighbors said. One neighbor peeked through a window of Abrams' home on Peachtree Street and spotted the dead canine inside a locked metal crate. Police searched for Abrams for five hours and found her at a new address on Parapet Drive, less than six miles from her former residence.

Abrams told detectives that the water had been turned off at the house in January and she had to move. She locked Ella in a crate at the old home because her new roommate did not like dogs. Abrams told the detectives that she knew what would happen if Ella was left without food or water for an extended period of time, the report shows. "Abrams showed no remorse over the dog," the police report shows. Cocoa Police Department spokeswoman Barbara Matthews said "this was a dog that was current on all of his shots. All she had to do was leave the door open." Police added that there was a bag of dry dog food just a few feet from the dog's locked crate.

Case Updates

It will be another week before we find out if a judge will throw out evidence in an animal cruelty case. Investigators said Christine Abrams, 29, moved out of her home, but left her German Shepherd in a crate for two months with no food or water. During Friday's hearing, animal rights groups demonstrated outside the courthouse, trying to get a judge to give Abrams a stern punishment for what happened to her dog. A neighbor spotted the dog's body and called for help. However, the defense is trying to convince the judge that that Abrams' home was illegally searched because police didn't have a warrant. The Humane Society hopes the judge throws out that argument. Right now, the hearing is scheduled to resume Friday, July 4, in order to give the defense and prosecution time to argue over motions.

Source: CF News - June 28, 2008 Update posted on Jun 28, 2008 - 6:43PM

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Police originally charged Abrams with one count of felony cruelty, which is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, but prosecutors in the case reduced the charge to a first-degree misdemeanor -- which carries a penalty of only one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Chief Assistant State Attorney Wayne Holmes said the reduced charges take into account the unclear wording of laws set by the state legislature. He encouraged residents to contact their state representatives and lobby for tougher laws that would make all animal cruelty a felony.

Source: National Enquirer - May 28, 2008 Update posted on May 28, 2008 - 11:42PM