Springfield woman barred from owning a dog after cruelty case resolved

A Springfield woman isn’t allowed to own a companion animal until 2024 and must complete community service after being convicted in a cruelty to an animal case.

Ashley Leslie, 34, was sentenced to a suspended 90 days in jail and must pay court costs, perform 10 hours of community service at the SPCA every month for the next year and not do drugs, according to the Clark County Municipal Clerk of Court Office.

She also isn’t allowed to own a cat or dog until Sept. 5, 2024, the court says. As part of the resolution of the case last week, three related counts were dismissed.

The Clark County Dog Warden Office began their investigation April 12 when they were called to a home on the 2600 bock of Morton Drive in Springfield.

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“(A witness) stated that he was in the process of evicting his tenant Ashley Leslie and had gone to the residence on April 10 due to the gas being shut off,” the affidavit says. “(The witness) stated when he got to the residence he could smell a strong odor of something dead from the door. (The witness) stated that he entered the home on April 12 and found a small deceased dog in the front bedroom of the home.”

The dog’s name was Reggie, according to an affidavit, and was a white, brown and black male, small terrier type mix.

“Small food and water bowls were found in the kitchen as well as dog food, but were not in a location that the dog could access from the closed bedroom,” the affidavit says. “A small dog bed was found in the living room.”

The landlord was unsure how long Leslie was gone, the affidavit says. The landlord had video of him entering the home and finding the dead dog.

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The dog warden investigator located Leslie and spoke to her over the phone, according to the affidavit.

“Ashley stated that the landlord had told her to be out by March 20, but that she was still going over to feed and water Reggie, but she could not remember the last date that she was at the home. Ms. Leslie stated that the landlord had changed the locks and that caused her to be unable to remove the dog. I told Ms. Leslie that the landlord had to drill out the doorknob to get in indicating that he did not change the locks and she was silent. I asked Ms. Leslie why she didn’t call someone about the dog being in the house and she again had no statement.”

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