CLEARFIELD – A former area couple was sentenced Monday for aggravated cruelty to animals for neglecting their animals, one of which starved to death.
In February of 2021, William Kenneth Long, 23, and Kiara Lynn Gohn, whose addresses are now listed as Sharpsburg, had several animals at their Clearfield Daisy Street residence.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, on Feb. 26, 2021, police received information from the Clearfield County SPCA that a dog had died from neglect at that address.
When asked what happened to the dog, the couple said they’d left Feb. 19 to attend a family funeral and when they came back on Feb. 20, they found it had died. They claimed it was buried at an out-of-town family’s residence.
Later Gohn contacted police admitting the dog was at their Clearfield home and had been there the entire time. She stated Long would not allow her to bury it.
A necropsy determined the dog died from starvation. Veterinarian records indicate it weighed 30 pounds on Oct. 3, 2020 and 19 pounds on March 4.
The dog, whose ribs could clearly be seen, had muscle deterioration and an empty stomach and intestines.
Other animals including another dog, a cat and two rabbits were taken from the home and given to the SPCA.
The rabbit cage appeared to have no food or water and contained a “lot of feces in it”.
Previously police had been called to the home on Oct. 29, 2020 for a trespassing report. At that time, the dog was in a cage.
Long admitted to leaving the dog in there for four days without anyone checking on it. There was food but no water in the cage.
A Dog Law officer was contacted and the dog was determined to be in good health.
On Nov. 27, 2020, a neighbor reported the couple was gone for two to three days and had the dog locked up. This witness believed they were not feeding the dog.
On Monday, the couple pleaded guilty to felony aggravated cruelty to animals and misdemeanor counts of tampering with evidence and neglect of animals.
Each of them will serve six months to one year in jail and three years concurrent probation, according to a court employee. They were fined $500 plus costs.
They are not allowed to own or be in a position of responsibility for the care of any animal during their sentences.
It was noted that Gohn’s jail sentence will be served following the completion of Long’s sentence due to them being caregivers for a family member.