WORTHINGTON — Two Worthington residents pled guilty to and were sentenced Monday for an animals-at-large offense
in the city of Worthington. During this incident, one of the dogs displayed aggressive behavior toward a Worthington police officer, who shot the dog with his duty weapon.
According to a press release issued Monday by Nobles County Attorney Braden Hoefert, Erika Maldonado and Luis Ponce each pled guilty to a misdemeanor violation of Worthington city ordinance 90.05(A), which prohibits the owner of an animal to allow it to run at large in the streets or public places of the city.
The Worthington Police Department had previously responded to eight other such calls involving dogs at large owned by Ponce or Maldonado, the release states. Many of these calls involved the dogs displaying aggressive behavior towards humans.
Ponce and Maldonado were sentenced to a suspended jail sentence of 30 days and placed on probation for one year. Ponce and Maldonado, who had re-homed the two dogs at issue in his case, were ordered not to own any additional dogs for the duration of their probation, to pay a $300 fine, and to attend a class on responsible pet ownership.
Worthington city ordinances require all pet owners to keep their dogs on a leash, chain, cable, behind a fence, in a kennel or otherwise have the dog under their control when the dog is outside their home.
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