Judge delays sentencing to see mistreated horses

6/2/2010

PORT CLINTON — The sentencing for an Oak Harbor woman convicted of 42 counts of animal cruelty has been postponed until the Ottawa County Municipal Court judge can view the affected horses.

Judge Frederick “Fritz” Hany seeks to see “as many horses as is practical” of the 36 animals that were in the care of Robin Vess, 55, until a Jan. 29 raid.

The sentencing set for Friday was postponed to July 16.

The judge decided the visits are necessary “in order to better understand the nature and circumstances of each case and to achieve the overriding purposes of Ohio's sentencing laws,” a court news release said.

Ohio law permits a maximum jail sentence of 18 months because all of the charges are misdemeanors.