Recordpub.com - Death threats in rabbit case: Suspect in drowning at pet store not in court

Elinor Israel, of the group Akron Voices for Animals (AVA), stands out front of the Akron Municiple Court where Liz Carlisle is on trial for allegedly drowning two rabbits.

By Diane Smith

Record-Courier staff writer

Animal rights activists stood outside the Stubbs Justice Center in Akron Thursday to send a message to the Ravenna Township woman accused of drowning two rabbits and then bragging about it on a social networking Web site.

But Liz Carlisle, charged with a misdemeanor offense of animal cruelty, was not in attendance because of threats she has received since her arrest, including death threats.

Thursday was the date of a pre-trial hearing for Carlisle, 20, of Ravenna Township. But the hearing ended up simply being a meeting between her lawyer, Ron Gatts, and prosecutors.

He said the death threats against his client have stopped, and Carlisle has been relocated. Municipal Court Judge Stephen Fallis granted a motion for her to skip the court appearance after learning of the threats.

Gatts said a pre-trial hearing in the case is set for Oct. 29, and Carlisle would be in attendance then. Thursday’s meeting was simply a chance for the attorneys to discuss evidence in the case.

He said he is surprised by the attention the case has drawn.

“I don’t have murder trials that get this kind of attention,” he said. “Why are we more concerned with animals’ lives than humans?”

Carlisle, who worked at the Petland store at Chapel Hill Mall in Akron, posted a photo of herself on her Facebook page, smiling and holding an apparently drowned rabbit in each hand.

Gatts implied that others were to blame for the mistreatment the rabbits had suffered.

“These animals were in the back room, they were suffering, and they were put to sleep,” he said. “Nobody wants any animal to suffer.”

The protesters said they represented various groups, including Akron Voices for Animals, Justice for Animals and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Protester Barbara McKelvey said the manager of the store has opened another pet store in Boardman. “We will be there,” she said.

Another protester, Eleanor Israel, said Petland’s practices have long been decried by activists.

“They’re notorious for animal cruelty,” she said. “They freeze mice alive. They buy from puppy mills.”

42.	Posted by girl99 September 7, 2009
	AndrewP....... I gota ticket for going left of center for tring not to hit a rabbit on bradylake rd. So since then I HAVE NOT SWERVED TO SAVE A LIFE OF A WILD ANIMAL. SO I guess that makes me a bad person also. But I have a pet dog who I spoil rotten. So mmm. But I have to agree with your post. But to deliberately kill an animalis very sad. They should use her to set a good example. I know I will hear well why her why now. Well it has tobe some one at some time just like it has been in the past. Give her a huge fine and year in jail be done with it she has pics of her holding he dead rabbits do we really need to waste tax money on this. In and out case get on with it all ready.

40.	Posted by Airbo September 6, 2009
	I must say, this one woman is getting raked through the coals, but when I worked at the Humane Society, we'd get in dogs and cats from situations that make this woman seem loving and caring and good intentioned. She did something horrible, but I've watched people swerve to hit cats, geese, squirrels and other wildlife (once in front of a cop who didn't care that the car he was passing just creamed a poor squirrel), and they never feel the wrath of the court system. At the HSGA, embedded collars were seen left and right (put a choke chain on a puppy, but never change it as the dog grows, so like a chain grows into a tree, the chain grows into the dogs neck, and infection and death soon follows). I'll never forget a sweet but understandably untrusting dog who was chained for it's entire life in a basement wall with only 3 feet of chain, so naturally it lived/swam in it's excrement and was TERRIFIED when the humane officers came to rescue him. He was eventually adopted into a loving, understanding home, but the offenders got a slap on the wrist. And dog fighting, hello, Akron... Animal welfare laws are a joke in Ohio (and most of the world). You can keep beagles in rabbit hutches and it is LEGAL in Ohio. Just the fact that Petland ever existed and still does in a lot of malls is animal cruelty. They support puppy mills and sell puppies with parvo. It's beyond sad. But money talks, and wins. "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

37.	Posted by Nanny_Society September 5, 2009
	Animal Protector: You are way beyond good reason when you resort to vicious attacks as you have. We may despise certain of Liz Carlisle's actions but I don't think any of us should denigrate her persona as you do. If there is no excuse for animal abuse, then there is even less excuse for your abuse of Liz Carlisle. AndrewP: What you see is faulty reason that goes as follow: All serial killers have started out inhaling air and exhaling carbon dioxide, therefore all who inhale air and exhale carbon dioxide will become serial killers. Yes, there is a correlation but the inference of causality is not supportable. Reasonable people don't think you are evil. The rest aren't going to listen to you whatever you say.

36.	Posted by AndrewP September 5, 2009
	Then Animal protector...where is the justice for all those dead squirrels and raccoons I see either on the side of the road or in the middle of the road. If you're going to condemn us for saying Ms. Carlisle made a mistake (and yet I have to hear about other animal abuse by her, so this was most likely a one time thing and she probably won't do it again), then condemn each and every driver that doesn't slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a "poor defenseless" squirrel or raccoon that scampers into the middle of the road. And like I admitted to, 5 animals have died underneath my wheels. Does that make me as bad as Ms. Carlisle? According to you, I must be.