A message from Scott Turner, the prosecutor in this case...
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Once again the world has been made aware of the caring community that is known as 14ers.com
I have been following this thread with great interest as I, a 14ers.com member, will be the prosecutor handling the criminal charges in this case. If you were one of the rescuers or personally witnessed anything that happened on the mountain please contact me through my 14ers.com profile. I want to make sure we have contact information for all potential witnesses. Any photographs or video that you may have will also be helpful. If we get to the point where the judge is considering punishment I will do another post with information for whomever would like to send a letter to the judge to make their opinion known as to what should happen to the defendant and the dog. However please remember that under the law Mr. Ortolani is innocent until proven guilty.
That is all I can comment on for now. I will continue to keep the 14ers.com community updated on the progress of the case.
Scott Turner, Chief Deputy District Attorney, 5th Judicial District
swturner
I wish the authorities would decide whether dogs are chattel or sentient beings. If they are chattel, the guy should not only walk, he shouldn’t be prosecuted at all. If, on the other hand, they are sentient beings, then not only should the book be thrown at this guy, but also there are an awful lot of cops who should face equal charges for shooting family dogs for no reason, (not all of which were fatal shots ... in case the cruelty angle is important here). Whatever the decision is (and I do have a preference) it should be consistently applied to everyone.