Woman charged with dog’s death headed to trial
NORRISTOWN » It’s fitting that true “Justice for Champ” is at last on the horizon in the month that belongs to Animal Cruelty Prevention.
The owner of a pit bull who was left outside to senselessly die in sub-zero temperatures in January is now headed for trial, and impassioned animal rights advocates, who gathered for Cecilia Ann Johnson’s preliminary hearing on Thursday, had a small victory to celebrate in one of the first cases being prosecuted under Pennsylvania’s new Libre’s Law.
District Judge Gregory Scott ruled that there was sufficient evidence for Johnson, who was arrested earlier this month for Champ’s death, to be tried in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.
Johnson, 64, of Norristown, is charged with felony aggravated cruelty to animals and neglect of an animal. Both are misdemeanors, although Libre’s Law allows for third-degree felony charges to be filed in cases of extreme neglect.
Arresting documents indicated that Norristown Police received an anonymous tip just before noon Jan. 6 about a dead dog outside of a residence on the 1200 block
of Swede Street. When officers arrived, they found a deceased dog — Champ, who was also known as Cam — lying on the ground between a doghouse and a fence outside.
In a press release announcing the charges, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and Norristown Police noted temperatures during the evening prior to the dog’s death had fallen as low as minus 2 degrees with a wind chill of negative 20 degrees.
Montgomery County officials had issued a Code Blue weather warning alerting residents that temperatures would be dangerously low that night.
An animal autopsy of the dog found the cause of death to be “hypothermia due to prolonged exposure to low ambient temperatures” and the manner of death to be “not accidental (neglect),” according to police.
“This dog, Champ, suffered as he froze to death just because his owner did not take him inside on one of the coldest nights of the winter,” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said in the release. “She left him outside without food, without water and without adequate shelter. Treating an animal so inhumanely is a serious crime and we are going to seek justice for Champ’s death.”
Johnson was arraigned April 6 before Magisterial District Judge Margaret Hunsicker and released from custody after posting $10,000
unsecured bail.
What infuriates the “Justice for Champ” champions most is that they believe Johnson intentionally killed the dog despite all their help.
For a full year before she brazenly left the dog outside to die that January night, Johnson continually refused to accept their help, explained Terry Carfagno wearing a Tshirt bearing the name of the cause, “Justice for Cam.”
“Cecilia Johnson knew exactly what she was doing. She blatantly put that dog outside to die. The year before he died I was in her house bringing him food,” said the Collegeville resident.
Like most of Champ’s supporters, Carfagno first learned about Champ on Facebook.
“A bunch of people saw him out in the freezing cold and put pictures of him on
Facebook. They tagged me and the next day I was at this woman’s door. The SPCA was going to euthanize him because he was aggressive, but that dog loved this woman,” said Carfagno.
Carfagno and friend Tammie Ziegler, who organized the Facebook campaign “Justice for Champ” bought Champ a new collar and toys, Carfagno recalled.
“I gave her everything she possibly needed, and to go back the next day and find the straw we gave her for the doghouse we brought her out on the front porch ... You can’t tell me she didn’t know exactly what she was doing and that she’s not mentally stable,” she said.
Trae Proitte, who regularly rescues dogs for several rescue groups, got involved when Carfagno sought his help for Champ.