Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, November 7,2018
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 5A
Hall woman found guilty
in Forsyth dog death case
By Alexander Popp
DCN Regional Staff
A former Forsyth County
dog groomer has been con
victed of aggravated cruelty
to animals and sentenced to
five years in prison for
kicking and choking a dog
to death in October 2017.
On Nov. 1, a jury con
victed Michelle Louise
Root, 44, of Hall County,
of killing a dog named
Meko. Root was acquitted
of a second charge of
aggravated animal cruelty
for the death of another
dog.
Root’s five-year sentence
includes three years in pris
on and two years of proba
tion. Root also faces fines,
community service hours
and restitution. Root is also
prohibited from ever caring
for or grooming any animal
not owned by her.
A little over an hour after
the jury’s verdict was read,
Root stood before Judge
David L. Dickinson in
Forsyth County Superior
Court to receive sentencing
and final comments in the
case.
“Ma’am, you have been
abusing animals for a long
time. Far too long,”
Dickinson said. “It will now
stop.”
Root was then escorted
from the courtroom in
handcuffs.
Meko’s owner, Mavel
Blanco, addressed the court
before Root’s sentencing
and stated that after such an
emotional roller-coaster she
was happy that Meko did
not die in vain.
“Meko was a special part
of my life and my son’s
life,” Blanco said. “I can’t
say that I’ll ever forget how
it is that this happened. I
trusted someone with my
dog and my family mem
ber, and they killed them. I
hope that this justice that
was served today for Meko
affects every other animal
moving forward.”
After the verdict, Meko’s
other owner, Eric Francis,
told the FCN that he was
happy with the outcome,
even though Root was
acquitted of one of her
charges.
“Justice was served for
Meko,” Francis said. “But
we need to have stronger
sentencing and online regis
tration for animal abusers.”
Root, the former owner
of Paw’sh Paws in
Cumming, was arrested on
Oct. 11 and again on Oct.
18, 2017, after it was
reported to the Cumming
Police Department that two
dogs, Littie Boy and Meko,
died under her care.
Over the two days of tes
timony, assistant district
attorney Michael Mahoney
and defense attorney Rafe
Banks squared off over
conflicting versions of what
happened on Oct. 7, 2017,
that ultimately lead to
Meko’s death.
The state based its case
on Root’s past history at
PetSmart, where three for
mer employees stated that
they regularly saw her abus
ing animals; two eye wit
nesses who stated that they
saw Root kick and choke
Meko on Oct. 7, 2017; and
the necropsy by the
University of Georgia
College of Veterinary
Medicine that uncovered
damage to Meko’s legs,
abdomen, head, shoulder,
neck, brain, lungs and other
body parts.
“The injuries on Meko
line up exactly with what
(witnesses) say,” Mahoney
said in his closing argu
ment. “That’s why you
should believe them and not
the three others that testified
today.”
In arguments defending
Root, Banks and his wit
nesses put forward the theo
ry that Meko was not killed
in a malicious attack but
died in an accident at
Paw’sh Paws after acting
aggressively toward Root
and another store employee.
“What you will find is, it
was an accident,” Banks
said. “Yes, it’s tragic, and
it’s certainly unfortunate,
but nobody intended for
Meko to die.”
Several members of
Root’s family, including her
husband Chris Garrett, her
mother, brother and a fami
ly friend spoke on her
behalf on Thursday, but in
the end Dickinson was
unmoved.
“You were in a position
of Oust as you undertook to
open a business and hold
ing yourself out as someone
to take care of the animals
of this community, and you
breached that trust,”
Dickinson said.
Will be at
Sawnee Drugs
HWY. 20
WEST OF CUMMING
FRIDAY, NOV. 9 th
2PM - 6PM
SATURDAY, NOV 10™
9AM - 2PM
PACKAGE &
VIDEO PHOTOS
Available
NO PERSONAL CAMERAS
OR VIDEOS
Hall County
woman
Michelle
Root listens
to court
proceedings
during her
animal
cruelty trial
last week in
Forsyth
County.
Ben Hendren DCN Regional Staff
2nd Annual
VETERAN’S APPRECIATION
CELEBRATION
November 10-12, 2018
PARADE
Downtown Dahlonega | Saturday November 10, 2018 at 11:00
SATURDAY | IN THE PARK
November 10th | Hancock Park, Dahlonega
5/1 OK “RUN FOR RANGERS” 08:00 | Registration fee: $30.00
Road and trail courses, course maps, details, and registration available
on website Go to website to register.
KIDS’ PLAY AREA After the parade until dark
Jump house, balloons, lawn games. FUN! FUN!
MUSIC FESTIVAL
11:15 - Band of Steel
12:00 - Elliott Sperin
13:00-Jim Wood
14:00 - Phillip Rogers
15:00 - Radford Windham--
16:00 - Jay Drummonds
17:00 - Kurt Thomas
SUNDAY | RIDE FOR RANGERS
November 11th | Hancock Park, Dahlonega
MOTORCYCLE RALLY 08:00 - 17:00
CYCLING RIDE FOR RANGERS 08:00 -17:00 Registration Lee: $40
Unique foothills courses, 64/32/20 mile. Course maps, details, and
registration available on website.
MONDAY | GOLF TOURNAMENT
November 12th | Achasta Country Club at 08:00
Registration Lee: $250
Arnold Palmer course.
SPONSORED BY THE
US ARMY RANGERS KT3
SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES AVAILABLE
www.VeteransAppreciationDay.org | FB.me/OnPointl.l
OMMHM 1-1, INC (866) 667-7363
770-887-0053
THANK
YOU
to the
people that
make this
labor of love
possible.
We join you
in saluting
all of our
Armed
Forces this
Veterans
Day.
