No jail time, but man barred from owning animals

BENNINGTON, Vt. --A man convicted of animal cruelty after leaving 31 dogs unattended inside a parked school bus was spared a jail term but barred from owning animals for three years.

Larry Mason, 53, of Bridgewater, N.H., drew a suspended sentence of up to a year in jail and was ordered to spend five days on a work crew and four years on probation, in addition to undergoing psychiatric treatment.

Mason was cited last July for animal cruelty after police responded to a call about dogs being left unattended near a diner. Police found a school bus parked with 31 dogs inside, all owned by Mason. Another dog was found on national forest land.

Last month, Mason was convicted on two counts of depriving animals of proper sanitation and one count of transporting animals in an overcrowded vehicle.

Given a chance to speak at his sentencing Monday, he said the prosecution of his case was not helping anyone. If the state "truly wanted to help," it could have used the $41,000 he said the prosecution cost to care for Mason's animals instead, said Mason.

"What disturbs me most is that Mr. Mason doesn't think he did anything wrong," said animal control officer Christine Crawford, who said she would have preferred a stronger sentence.

Judge David Howard said it was troubling that Mason didn't realize the effects of his actions.

"At some point, I think you need to get to some understanding that you were neglecting (the dogs)," Howard told Mason.

A restitution hearing still must be held to decide if Mason must pay back the state for caring for the dogs after they were taken from him. Most have since been adopted.

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Information from: Bennington Banner, http://www.benningtonbanner.com