Man endures ridicule for animal abuse charge
As if wearing a bright, fluorescent orange sandwich board sign at one of the busiest intersections in the county the day before he turned 22 wasn’t humbling enough, Ulysses Zimmerman was the target of horn blowing and name calling while he carried out his sentence for an animal cruelty citation. “Animal abuser,” one woman in a passing mini-van shouted at the Point Marion man while he stood Thursday morning at the intersection of Matthew Drive and McClellandtown Road in South Union Township, wearing a sign that said: “I Plead Guilty. Animal Cruelty is a Crime. My Dog’s name was Salt & Pepper.”
Fayette County humane officer Robin Moore, who cited Zimmerman for the strangling death of a mixed-breed dog at their Grant Street home in June, said she was worried about one man who was circling the area and would beep, gesture with his thumb down out of his window or say something every time he passed Zimmerman.
All the unwanted attention made the young man wish for rain.
“She said if it rains, I’m done for the day,” Zimmerman said, referring to Moore.
However, he seemed to take most of the abuse from the motoring public in stride. After all, a day’s worth of public embarrassment was the least painful of the possible sentences he faced.
Under an agreement he worked out with Moore, Zimmerman pleaded guilty, paid a $144 fine, $140 in restitution and $53.50 in court costs, and agreed to community service.
The maximum penalty is a $750 fine and 90 days in prison.
Zimmerman maintained his innocence Thursday, saying he came home and found the dog strangled. He said its collar was so tight that he couldn’t slip two fingers between it and the dog’s neck.
“I took the rap,” he said gallantly.
The sign he wore was Moore’s idea for his community service. He was to be at the intersection from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and then relocate to a place in Point Marion until 5 p.m. The temperature climbed to the upper 80s in the afternoon.
Moore said education was the real goal behind the public display. She stood on an island between traffic lanes, passing out pamphlets containing guides for dog care and charts for tracking medical treatments and vaccinations.
“This is about educating the community about animal care,” Moore said.
She also commended Zimmerman for fulfilling his responsibility.
“He agreed to come out here and promote animal care. Ulysses has been great about this. I want to use this as an educational tool,” Moore said.