"The information that we have is that it was more a brokering - she's buying and selling animals."
-Laurie Dethloff, Director of the Central Nebraska Humane Society.
Convicted animal abuser Denise Withee was sentenced again on Thursday, this time for having more animals.
Withee was given probation for dumping dead dogs in a Hall County cornfield back in 2008. Earlier this year authorities were tipped off that Withee was living with more dogs.
Withee's attorney argued that for Withee, who has a history of depression, owning animals is like a drug, and she gets a kind of high from their companionship.
But local shelters who helped law enforcement with those dead dogs in 2008 say they don't think that's true.
"The information that we have is that it was more a brokering - she's buying and selling animals," says Laurie Dethloff, Director of the Central Nebraska Humane Society. "Hoarders have their animals run around and hang out with them, for her to have this warm fuzzy feeling that [the judge] talked about, they wouldn't be crated."
Judge William Wright says in this case there are no good sentencing options for someone with Withee's history of mental illness and likelihood to re-offend. When Wright asked Withee if she had any additional information he needed to know before he handed down her sentence, she said "I'm very sorry for what has happened."
The judge did order Withee to spend 90 days in prison while the state does a mental evaluation and comes up with options for further sentencing.
The half dozen animal rights advocates who attended the sentencing say they're pleased with the judge's decision not to put Withee back on probation.
"One, she's suffered the consequences for what she's done; two, we are now seeing how the laws work, how we need to prepare, how we need to get educated for law enforcement, for the legal departments," says Dethloff.
Dethloff says cases like this helps them network to keep a better eye out for puppy mills or animal hoarding situations.
