A Toledo woman was sentenced Thursday to a year’s probation and 60 days’ suspended jail time after pleading no contest to animal cruelty in Toledo Municipal Court.
Melissa Nierman accepted a plea deal that reduced her charges to a third-degree misdemeanor instead of second-degree. As part of the sentence, Judge Michael Goulding prohibited Ms. Nierman from owning or having animals in her house for the next year.
The charge stems from an Oct. 5, 2011 complaint by Toledo Area Humane Society Humane Officer Gene Boros stating that Ms. Nierman’s dog at the time, a 140-pound mastiff, was confined to a house full of feces and urine.
Ms. Nierman subsequently surrendered the dog to the humane society with the understanding she would not be required to pay restitution. The dog has since been adopted, Officer Boros said.