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ANIMAL WELFARE
Chandler animal abuse court date is now Oct. 24
File photo/Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office
A Chandler woman charged with 77 misdemeanor counts has had a court hearing postponed again. Sydney McKinley is due in Chandler Municipal Court on Thursday, Oct. 24, 8:30 a.m., for a pretrial conference.
Posted
INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA
A court date for a woman accused of 77 counts of animal abuse-related charges has been moved again.
Sydney McKinley is due in Chandler Municipal Court, 200 E. Chicago St., Downtown Chandler, Thursday, Oct. 24, 8:30 a.m., for a pre-trial conference.
The latest postponement, according to a city of Chandler news release, is an opportunity for the defendant and the defendant’s attorney to meet with the prosecutor. The motion to postpone was made by a defense attorney and granted by a judge.
The date of the pre-trial conference has been moved back at least four times.
The release explained a pre-trial conference is an opportunity for the defendant and the defendant’s attorney to meet with the prosecutor.
McKinley was jailed briefly Sept. 22 of last year after 55 live and five deceased dogs were found at her Chandler home when a search warrant was served; her state charges are still pending.
In early January, a Chandler judge dismissed McKinley’s appeal to have 13 dogs returned to her from the Arizona Humane Society.
Municipal Court judge Michelle Lue Sang ruled Oct. 11, that McKinley could not bring home 13 dogs after she was charged in September with 55 counts of animal abuse.
The three-plus-hour Oct. 11 Chandler Municipal Court hearing was also where McKinley, 48, surrendered 47 dogs that were seized Sept. 22 from her home when a search warrant was served by Chandler Police Department and the Arizona Humane Society. She told Judge Sang she was seeking only to have 13 “personal family dogs” returned.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has filed a 24-count indictment that includes eight felony and 16 criminal misdemeanor charges related to state animal cruelty laws, the city states. That set of cases is pending in the county's court system.
The city of Chandler received so many inquiries about McKinley’s cases, it has devoted a page called “Animal Cruelty Legal Process and Investigation” to the timeline and other details, on its website.
We invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this topic. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.
