Man convicted in animal cruelty case still not found

There’s still no sign of a St. John’s man who skipped out on his sentencing last week for an animal cruelty conviction.

The search is still on for John Michael Corcoran, who was scheduled to be in provincial court last Wednesday to find out his punishment for starving his dog and leaving its desiccated remains in a suitcase.

When the 33-year-old Corcoran failed to show, Judge Jim Walsh issued a warrant for his arrest.

As of Monday evening, he still hadn’t been located.

When contacted by The Telegram, RNC Const. Geoff Higdon said, “As an organization, we have received the warrant and we are in the process of investigating his whereabouts.”

Corcoran pleaded guilty to a charge of animal cruelty in a case in which the details about the dog’s suffering caused the province’s chief veterinary officer to break down in tears. While testifying at the sentencing hearing a few months ago, Dr. Laura Rogers described it as the worst case of emaciation she’s seen in her 20 years of practice. Rogers was emotional as she described the suffering Diamond, a young pit bull, had to have endured in the months leading up to its death. The dog’s remains were found Aug. 15, 2015 in a suitcase — that was seeping a liquid substance — by employees from the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corp., who were at a unit on Buckmaster’s Circle to prepare it for the next tenant.

During Corcoran’s sentencing hearing, the Crown recommended Corcoran be given a blended sentence — eight months behind bars, with 18 months’ probation for the animal cruelty charge, and conditional sentences totalling 45 days for other unrelated charges, including possessing stolen property from the construction company he had worked for and breaching court orders for not residing where he said he would. Corcoran, who represented himself at the sentencing hearing, apologized for what he did and asked the judge to consider a conditional sentence.

Walsh then told Corcoran, “Pack your toothbrush, because I tell you there will be some straight jail time.”