Humane Society of Delaware County Investigation Leads to First-Ever Felony Convictions for Animal Cruelty

April 23, 2024

The Humane Society of Delaware County (HSDC), a private nonprofit organization, spearheaded an investigation which led to two first-ever felony convictions and one misdemeanor conviction for cruelty to companion animals.

In a plea agreement accepted on Monday, April 22 by Delaware County Common Pleas Judge James P. Schuck, Judge Schuck sentenced the defendant, Joshua O. Ramey, to three years community control, 40 hours of community service, restitution to the Humane Society of Delaware County, and an indefinite ban on owning any animals. In any month that Mr. Ramey does not pay agreed-to restitution, he will serve two days in county jail.

In September 2023, HSDC’s humane agents found two dead kittens, three live kittens and one adult cat at Ramey’s home. Subsequent veterinary examinations confirmed that the kittens had been starved and all felines were anemic due to severe flea infestation. Though the kittens were determined to be five to six months old, they weighed between 1.5 – 2.67 lbs.

“This conduct is beyond callous and truly inexcusable,” said HSDC Executive Director Jana Cassidy, who provided a victim’s impact statement prior to the sentencing. “Last year alone, HSDC distributed 33,000 pounds of free food for those who needed help caring for their pets. No animal should go hungry in Delaware County. Further, the defendant has a history and a pattern of animal abuse. We asked the court to impose a period of incarceration, require restitution, allow us to do unannounced home visits in the future, and ban the defendant from ever owning another companion animal.”

In 2019, HSDC removed five puppies, two adult dogs and one cat from his premises. A female dog, the mother of the puppies, subsequently died and a necropsy revealed that her death was caused by starvation. Ramey was convicted on four misdemeanor counts of prohibitions against companion animals and then subsequently sentenced to 15 days in jail due to his failure to comply with court orders in that case and unsuccessfully terminated from municipal probation.

Because of Ramey’s prior conviction, Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office presented the 2023 case to the Grand Jury last September. The Grand Jury returned four felony counts and one misdemeanor count of cruelty to companion animals.

HSDC took possession of all the surviving cats in this case, providing veterinary treatment and restoring them to healthy weights. All four were adopted in October and November of last year.

As the humane agent for Delaware County, HSDC investigated 110 potential cases of animal cruelty and neglect in 2023 – a 17% increase from 2022. More than 2,000 people adopted from HSDC last year while the agency cared for nearly 2,200 dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, guinea pigs and other homeless animals.