Dog-killing charges against Jamestown woman dismissed
Jul. 7—LINESVILLE — All charges filed against a Jamestown woman accused of killing her boyfriend's dog with her minivan in May have been dismissed as the dog's owner didn't show up to testify at a court hearing Tuesday.
Douglas Germeyer failed to appear at the preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Rita Marwood in Linesville.
Andrew Natalo, a Crawford County assistant district attorney, told Marwood that Germeyer was aware of the hearing when Natalo had spoke with him by telephone on Friday. Natalo said Germeyer also had notification of the hearing by mail. Natalo said Germeyer had not been served with a subpoena by the DA's office to compel his testimony.
With Germeyer a no-show, defense attorney Stanley T. Booker then moved for a dismissal of all charges against his client, Tonya L. Seaborn, as Germeyer was to be the only witness in the case.
"He knew about it," Booker said of Germeyer's knowledge of the hearing in asking Marwood for the dismissal.
Marwood then dismissed all charges against Seaborn but without prejudice, meaning charges could be refiled against her at a later date.
Seaborn, 47, of 1 Gibson St., had been charged by Pennsylvania State Police with two felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals; three misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief; single misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and illegally operating a vehicle without an ignition interlock device; and summary counts of careless driving and reckless driving.
Police had charged Seaborn for allegedly killing Germeyer's dog with her minivan the night of May 7 plus allegedly damaging a riding lawn mower and storage shed doors at Germeyer's home on Fitch Road in South Shenango Township.
According to the arrest affidavit filed in the case, Germeyer told police that Seaborn was upset with Germeyer because he had not told her that he had arrived home early on May 7.
Keith Gushard can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.
