Sentences Handed Down In Cases Of Animal Cruelty

by Bea Peterson
Lohnes Gets 3½ Year Minimum
On Thursday, February 4, Michael Lohnes, 26, of Hoosick, appeared in Rensselaer County Court before Judge Andrew Ceresia and pleaded guilty to charges of burglary, criminal mischief and aggravated cruelty to an animal. He was sentenced to three and a half to seven years in prison. He has been in jail since January 2009. That time will be credited toward his sentence. The charges stem from a December 2008 incident when Lohnes broke into a barn owned by his family, burglarizing the property and brutally killed a horse named Skye, that was boarded on the farm and owned by Dawn Feathers of Petersburgh.
Beck Sentenced
On Thursday evening, February 4, Matthew Beck, 46, of Hoosick and former Dog Officer for the Town of Hoosick, appeared in Town Court and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of official misconduct, petit larceny, animal cruelty and operating a waste disposal facility without proper authorization. Beck was sentenced to two weekends in jail, and he will wear a monitoring device for 10 days and serve three years probation.
Beck had appeared before Judge Tom Restino in December under a plea agreement that would have had Beck serving 30 days on a work detail under the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Department, along with three years of probation. Judge Restino rejected that plea deal as there was no jail time.
Beck was charged in February 2009 when April Stevens reported that she was missing two dogs and had heard they were given to the Dog Officer. During a search of Beck’s property, State Police uncovered dog bones, including two dog skulls, in a manure pile. State Pathologist Ward Stone determined that the dogs were not those of Stevens but that the skulls did contain bullet holes. One of the dogs was believed to have belonged to Asa Clark and it is on that evidence that the animal cruelty charge was made.
The petit larceny and official misconduct are connected to Stevens’ animals, while the waste disposal charge stems from the animal remains in the manure pile and comes under a Department of Agriculture and Markets law.
Rensselaer County District Attorney Richard McNally said he believes Beck “was treated very fairly.” He said the sentence was firm but fair.