Portage court dismisses Mantua Twp. animal cruelty case
The felony animal cruelty case that resulted from 146 dogs found dead last year in Mantua Township has been dismissed following the suspect's death.
The case against Barbara A. Wible was dismissed after a judgement entry signed by Portage County Common Pleas Judge Laurie J. Pittman was filed Tuesday. The case is considered closed, according to court records.
Wible, who was reported to have been terminally ill with cancer, died Jan. 28. She was 69.
More: Owner of Mantua Township home where 146 dead dogs were found facing 146 felony charges
The Portage County Prosecutor's Office said it was informed several weeks after Wible's death and confirmed it Feb. 22. Portage County Prosecutor Victor Vigluicci said in March that delays in dismissing the case were due to "paperwork" issues.
The Portage Animal Protective League found the deceased dogs in June 2023 at Wible's home. Initially, the APL filed misdemeanor cases against Wible and Canine Lifeline, Inc., the non-profit dog rescue organization she co-founded and led.
At the time of the discovery in Mantua Township, the APL argued for the lower-level charges because it was believed Wible wouldn't live long enough to fight a felony case.
However, after a public uproar that included an online petition organized by Kim Goddard, daughter of late animal welfare advocate Dick Goddard of Fox 8 in Cleveland, the Portage prosecutor took the matter to a grand jury.
Wible was indicted on 146 fifth-degree felony counts of cruelty to a companion animal. Kim Goddard said the charges were justified under a state law named in honor of her father. Goddard's Law allows for felony charges in especially egregious cases of animal cruelty.
Goddard also said that felony charges would send a message to others.
The APL later dropped charges against Wible, but the 25 counts of first-degree misdemeanor cruelty to companion animals remained in place.
The organization pleaded no contest in March in Portage County Municipal Court, and Acting Judge James Silver found it guilty. Silver then ordered that Canine Lifeline pay the APL $5,008 as reimbursement for necropsies performed on the dogs, as well as unspecified court costs. Silver also ordered Canine Lifeline to cease operating within five years.
A Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted Wible on 36 similar felony counts after three dozen neglected dogs were found in June at a Parma home owned by Wible. A dozen of the dogs were dead upon the discovery, and three others were euthanized. The remaining 21 dogs were taken to a local animal shelter.
Due to Wible's death, that case was dismissed in March.
Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Portage court dismisses animal cruelty counts against the late Barbara A. Wible
