11 year old son killed rescue dog - October 24, 2014
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Ritchie, Donna, board member, is a registered sex offender:
315 15th Ave Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250
ALIASES: Donna LYNN Ritchie, Donna Goff, Donna Lynn Lloyd, Donna Ritchie, Donna L. Ritchie, Donna Lynn Anderson
Mom Sentenced to Life Critics Assail Child Molestation Case Verdict
Newspaper article By Bell, June D.
The Florida Times Union , February 15, 1997
When Donna Ritchie was sentenced yesterday to life in prison for molesting her son, prosecutors hoped the trying, emotional case was finally over.
Mother's conviction overturned 09/29/98
September 29, 1998
TALLAHASSEE - A state appeals court yesterday overturned the 1997 conviction of a Jacksonville woman who was sentenced to life in prison for sexually abusing her 5-year-old son.
LAW & DISORDER
December 6, 2000
FONDLING PLEA: A Jacksonville woman whose conviction was overturned two years ago on appeal has pleaded guilty to committing a lewd and lascivious act on a 5-year-old boy.
Donna Ritchie, 43, who was convicted in 1997 and sentenced to life in prison, was facing going through another trial before she entered her plea of guilty to fondling the boy.
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Middleburg boy, 11, faces animal cruelty charges after killing family's rescue dog
October 24, 2014
An 11-year-old boy in Middleburg is facing aggravated animal cruelty charges. Police say he killed his family's rescue dog and buried it without saying a word for three weeks.
"That's actually where he buried her, we found her a couple feet up over there," said the boy's mother who is going by 'Kim' to not reveal her son's identity.
For three weeks this Middleburg mom looked for her 7-month-old rescue dog Jade. She never imagined her dog was murdered.
"There was a hole there, and a bag sticking out of it and I just slowly pieced together the pieces," she said.
Her 11-year-old son eventually confessed to the crime. He told his mom he stabbed the dog and buried it in their backyard. The dog was found without a head after other dogs dug it out.
"As a mother and a rescuer it's so, like I said I cry all the time," said the boy's mom.
The child was charged with aggravated animal cruelty and was taken to the Juvenile Detention Center. He's now one of a few children accused of killing animals on the First Coast recently.
Two Clay County teenage girls were arrested in August after they recorded themselves lighting a tortoise on fire and then stomping it to death. In Springfield, a 14-year-old is facing charges for lighting a cat on fire.
The Jacksonville Humane Society says fortunately they rarely get cases of animal abuse.
"They might be animals that come to us from animal care and protective services because law enforcement might have been involved in taken them from a home, dog fighting is a big example of abuse that we've seen recently," said Diana Fox, Community Relations Coordinator with the Jacksonville Humane Society.
The 11-year-old's mother says she's been doing rescue work with animals for four years. She says this has been devastating to her on both sides.
"Now we're doing family counseling every week, they recommend a psychological evaluation which he's scheduled for," said the child's mother.
If you suspect animal neglect or animal abuse in your neighborhood you could contact your city, your sheriff's office or anonymously through Crimestoppers that number is 1-866-845 TIPS.
Florida boy, 11, charged with killing rescue dog
Oct. 26, 2014
The Clay County Sheriff's Office spoke to the boy's mother, who said one of her dogs disappeared last month.
She told investigators her son initially told her that he let the dog outside and it never came back.
The boy's mother said a few weeks later, another dog vanished.
As the mother and her boyfriend started looking for the dog, they stumbled over a shallow grave in the backyard.
They discovered one of their dogs had been buried there with its head missing. The mother's son admitted he killed the dog and buried it.
The boy, a Middleburg Elementary School student, is being held at the Duval Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Jacksonville.
First Coast News Facebook News Post
October 24 at 10:58pm ·
Police say the Middleburg boy killed his family's rescue dog and buried it without saying a word for three weeks.
MIDDLEBURG, Fla. -- An 11-year-old boy is facing aggravated animal cruelty charges. Police say he killed his family's rescue dog and buried it without saying a word for three weeks.
firstcoastnews.com
Boy, 11, charged after killing, burying dog
Oct 28 2014
CLAY COUNTY, Fla. - Egregious and cold-hearted -- that’s how the national group, "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals or PETA, is describing a Clay County case of animal cruelty.
Investigators charged 11-year-old Dillon Noyer with felony animal cruelty after they said he admitted to killing his family's rescue dog and burying it without saying a word for three weeks.
Typically, News4Jax does not report the names of minors or use their photos, but because of the severity of the charge he’s facing, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office is making it public.
The police report outlines some incredibly callous behavior by Noyer. His mom said there were never any signs that her son would or could something like this but said he did admit to stabbing her rescue dog Jade and then burying her in the backyard.
“Everybody’s been kind of on me about, 'How dare you report your son. How dare you do this,'" said Kimberly Noyer, the boy's mother. "Once they found out, the state took over and honestly, I don’t want to see him go any further. He needs to get help and he is. We are getting counseling and he is getting anger management and doing psych evaluations.”
Kimberly Noyer told News4Jax she runs a rescue out of her home and that her son kept quiet about the killing for three weeks. He only confessed after she confronted him after the family’s other pets started to dig up Jade's shallow grave.
PETA is now using this case as a call to action for others to teach empathy and compassion for animals in schools.
“If a child can possibly kill his family’s companion and not recognize the immense fear and hurting this animal surely felt, that is cause for serious concern,” said Nina Kahn, with PETA. "Countless studies show that people who abuse animals will rarely stop at that. But by promoting kindness to animals through humane education, schools can have a chance to reach kids before they commit an act of violence on any living being.”
The 11-year-old is now being held at the Duval Juvenile Detention Center. He’ll be in court Wednesday morning for his first appearance.
Kimberly Noyer said she’s passionate about her rescue work and animals and will not let what’s going on with her son deter her from doing something she gets so much joy and satisfaction out of.
PETA sends letters to schools in Clay County after boy's arrest for beheaded family dog
Posted: October 28, 2014
Schools in the Clay County area received letters from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Tuesday after reports that an 11-year-old boy beheaded and buried one of his family’s rescue dogs.
The boy’s mother, who rescues animals, reported the incident to authorities Oct. 1 after the dog was found without a head in a shallow grave in the family’s backyard in Orange Park, according to the arrest report. He was charged with aggravated animal cruelty Oct. 14.
His mother expressed on her Facebook the heartache the family is going through and having to take action.
“Just need everyone’s support,” she posted. “I’m sure all of you mothers can imagine what I’m going through.” Even worse, she wrote, is that “my sole purpose in life is rescue and something like this happens. ... And obviously it’s not the only obstacle we’re facing.”
She and the boy are not being identified by the Times-Union because of his young age.
She had about 10 dogs and 10 cats at her residence at the time of the incident, according to the arrest report.
The dead dog’s name was Jade.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ humane education division, TeachKind, sent the letters Tuesday morning to encourage the schools to educate students about the dangers of abusing animals, according to the organization.
The letters warned that violence to animals can lead to more severe acts against humans. The group is offering to help with presentations in area classrooms.
Jade went missing Sept. 11 and when the mother initially asked her son if he knew anything about the situation, the boy said he let the dog go outside, according to the arrest report.
The mother and her boyfriend found the dog carcass in their backyard Sept. 25 while they were looking for another dog.
The boy then told his mother he killed the dog when she asked him if he knew anything about the dog in the grave.
The mother’s boyfriend reburied the dog that day and she alerted the Clay County Sheriff’s Office Oct. 1, according to the arrest report.
Total of 12 dogs, cats surrendered by Middleburg rescue
April 1, 2015
MIDDLEBURG, Fla. — The population at Clay County Animal Control grew by 12 on Wednesday after dogs and cats were surrendered by their owner.
Investigators say Kimberly Noyer has been operating a rescue called Kim’s Itty Bitty Babies out of a Middleburg home, but last week, she told them she planned to stop after three of her dogs were found suffering from Parvo.
We found Noyer is a former Clay County Animal Control kennel attendant who has fostered dozens of animals.
We also uncovered multiple complaints against her, her boyfriend, Jason Kuleza, and the rescue.
In October, Action News told you her son, 11 year old Dillon was charged with felony animal cruelty after allegedly decapitating a dog.
In December, Clay County Code Enforcement warned Kulesza there were too many animals in this home.
We spoke to the county’s director of Environmental Services, Alan Altman, by phone Wednesday. He confirms investigators found 21 dogs and cats -- 16 more than what’s allowed by law. Noyer voluntarily surrendered 12 of them.
In the past, he said, as many as 86 were kept there, and this rescue could have been considered hoarding.
He said Noyer has not always cooperated, but on Wednesday, he said she did. Noyer said all but one of the 12 animals surrendered has been deemed healthy and they continue to investigate.
The property owners where the rescue was operating were originally scheduled to appear before special magistrate Thursday for that code violation, but late Wednesday afternoon, we received word from the court that that hearing will be rescheduled. A date has not yet been set.
Kim’s Itty Bitty Babies is a state registered nonprofit, but we contacted the Department of Agriculture, and they confirmed the rescue was not properly registered to receive donations. According to the website, the rescue accepts up to $250 for each dog placed in a home.
