Two people charged in a high-profile animal cruelty case will be back in court in October for the next step in their criminal case.
Cody Morin, 20, was in Sudbury court Wednesday. He's charged along with Chelcea Martin, 18, after a video emerged online in June showing a dog named Chico being forced to eat his own feces and repeatedly punched and kicked.
A handful of protestors again gathered outside in support of Chico, as they have during previous court appearances in July and earlier this month. The pup has since been adopted, along with another dog in the home.
On Wednesday, the court was told Martin has a lawyer and a judicial pre-trial has been scheduled for Oct. 16. Morin, however, was denied legal aid and, at least until his appeal of that decision is heard, is representing himself.
He'll be back in court next week to confirm whether Martin's lawyer can attend an Oct. 10 hearing. Because they are charged in connection with the same incident, the Crown wants to co-ordinate the trials.
In Ontario, convictions on animal cruelty charges can include up to two years in jail, fines of up to $60,000, and a lifetime ban on animal ownership, as well as other penalties.
David Hache, the man who took the video in question, told Sudbury.com in June that he couldn’t believe his eyes the first time he saw the woman beat her dog.
He and his girlfriend sat there, stunned, while she rained blows down onto the cowering animal. They decided they had to do something to protect the dog.
“She just viciously beat that dog in front of us,” he said. “I talked about it with my girlfriend and we said we we're going to record them.”
