Two women charged in animal abuse cases Clearing
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Two Macomb County women have been charged by prosecutors with animal abuse in separate cases.
In the first case, the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office has authorized one count of third-degree animal torture against Amber Sunde of Shelby Township. The charge is a fouryear felony.
According to prosecutors, officers from the Utica Police Department responded Jan. 4 to a “disturbing call” concerning a woman allegedly throwing a 6-month-old puppy into the Clinton River multiple times. Police found a woman holding a small, wet dog that appeared to have suffered trauma.
The puppy, named Lux, suffered numerous injuries including a broken leg and fractured skull, according to the Detroit Pit Crew Rescue organization. In a social media post, Pit Crew personnel said Lux also had endured other injuries during its short life, including a broken front leg that never healed properly.
Police were able to stop the suspect and took custody of the dog. Lux is recuperating at a foster home.
Utica Police Chief Sean Cody did not respond to phone calls from The Macomb Daily requesting for comment.
This isn’t the first time Utica police have arrested an accused animal abuser.
In 2019, Alexander Gerth of Shelby Township, 24, was sentenced to three to six years in prison for fatally stabbing and torturing a dog in Grant Park.
Gerth was the focus of outrage by a group of animal lovers and the community at large for killing Sterling, a 2-year-old pit bull mix. He is serving at his sentence at G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson.
In the second case, a Door Dash driver from Warren faces a larceny from a building charge after she allegedly stole a dog while dropping off food at a Warren house.
The incident happened on New Year’s Day when the family dog, named Bella, was discovered missing from an enclosed porch. Family members initially through Bella had somehow escaped from the porch, but checked a surveillance camera and found the suspect had allegedly snatched her.
They contacted Warren police who made an arrest and returned Bella to her home.
“I want to commend the swift action taken by the Warren Police Department to view the video, make contact with the suspect, and recover Bella in good health,” Prosecutor Pete Lucido said in a news release.
The suspect has yet to be arraigned in 37th District Court. She faces up to four years in prison if convicted.
Lucido said he knew animal abuse was a problem in southeast Michigan as a state senator and he worked to strengthen laws to protect abused animals.
The Michigan Legislature passed a new law that increases penalties associated with the abuse of animals. It went into effect for all crimes committed after March 28, 2019.