TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A Tallahassee rescue owner accused of animal cruelty was found guilty on all charges on Wednesday.
After a day of testimony, the jury deliberated for around twenty minutes before returning the verdict.
Judy Du Bois was found guilty of eight misdemeanor charges.
A former neighbor, Cynthia Harlow, said this sentence was personal to her.
“I have tried repeatedly, since 2008 up until 2018, when she finally moved from me, I’ve tried every avenue to get this rescue shut down,” Harlow said. “Because I watched animals suffer and I watched them die and I heard the cries, so I felt the pain of the animals that were on that property, so it hurts.”
Harlow credits another neighbor, Chriss Lyda, who testified at the trial, for “getting the truth out.”
During Wednesday’s trial, prosecutors said Du Bois had “every opportunity to give these dogs to a rescue” that had the means to care for them.
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Prosecutors told the jury about the “dirty and disgusting conditions” the dogs were in, saying “they were so desperate they were trying to dig through the wires” of their enclosures.
Defense attorneys said the prosecutors were trying to “appeal to emotions” and urged the jury to use “common sense.”
They said Du Bois took care of the dogs, that they were hydrated and fed.
Ultimately, the jury found Du Bois guilty on all eight counts.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 1, and the judge has ordered Du Bois to remain in custody until sentencing.
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