I want to tell you about Hiro.
Hiro is a small dog who was pulled out of a breeding operation in Loudonville, Ohio, this summer, along with 72 other dogs. When deputies searched the property, they found conditions bad enough to justify seizing every single animal there. Hiro was underweight, dealing with parasites, and had clearly never known real care. He's safe now, in a rescue group's hands, slowly putting on weight and learning what it feels like to be looked after.
The man accused of running that operation, Daniel Miller, has now been arrested twice. Police first arrested him after the initial raid on his property. Two weeks later, investigators went back with ten more charges, including sexual conduct with an animal. Ashland County Sheriff Kurt Schneider has said the investigation isn't finished, and that more charges against Miller or others may still be coming.
Here's what worries me: every charge Miller currently faces is only a second-degree misdemeanor. Under Ohio law, that limits what a judge can ultimately impose, no matter how many dogs suffered or how disturbing the allegations are. Miller is currently free on a $25,000 bond, with his next court date set for October 13 in Ashland Municipal Court.
I'm asking Ashland County Prosecutor DanaMarie Pannella to pursue every charge the law allows, including any felony-level charges the ongoing investigation turns up, and to seek the maximum sentence plus a lifetime ban on Miller ever owning or breeding animals again. Dogs like Hiro don't get to choose whether deputies show up in time. The least we can do is make sure the man responsible never gets another chance to do this to another animal.
Please add your name and ask Prosecutor Pannella to see this case through to the fullest extent Ohio law allows.
