Local animal advocate facing 42-count abuse indictment

[demmiblue]

Steffen Baldwin, an animal rights advocate and former Union County Animal Shelter director, is facing dozens of charges connected to animal abuse. Police and court records show that he would rehabilitate and re-home dangerous animals via his nonprofit group, only to euthanize them and pocket the money for personal use.

Steffen Baldwin presented himself as a caring lover of pets, especially dogs that were about to be cast off because they were incorrigible or unruly.

And he was known in Union County for his leadership: executive director of the Humane Society; a Humane agent who investigated cases of pet and livestock abuse; and founder of a nonprofit agency, collecting donations to match unwanted dogs with new owners.

But secretly, Baldwin was grooming pet owners with a promise to rehabilitate their dogs, or find them new homes, for a fee. But, in fact, he pocketed the proceeds for personal use and euthanized the animals without permission, according to court and police records.

Baldwin, 39, was arrested this week in California, after U.S. Marshals posed as potential customers. He had fled there from Ohio three years ago after being investigated for taking a pit bull and $1,000 from a Mahoning County couple and then euthanizing the dog without telling the owners.

Baldwin waived his extradition and was returned to Marysville this week, where he faces additional accusers in a 42-county felony indictment which includes charges of cruelty to companion animals, grand theft, bribery, telecommunications fraud, tampering with evidence and impersonating a peace officer. The charges related to the deaths of at least 18 dogs.

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20200808/local-animal-advocate-facing-42-count-abuse-indictment

Asshole...

[Phoenix61]

1. Wow! What a POS! nt

[Bayard]

2. Despicable bastard!

Reminds me of a vet I worked for many years ago. He was smarmy nice to customers, but he would do things like take a dog that had been brought in for euthanizing, and keep it a few days to give blood transfusions to another dog. Or, he'd put one down, than callously throw it in the freezer before it had stopped breathing. And gawd forbid if he took a dog into a back room while an owner was waiting. I saw him punch a poodle in the face once, that bled all over the place.

I asked him once why he became a vet. He said he didn't want to, but couldn't get into med school to be a doctor.

I quit after a few months. I saw several years later that he'd opened another clinic.

[Chili]

3. low-life psychopath

Lock him up for fucking ever.

[kskiska]

4. Reminds me of Dr. Bill Frist, Republican Senate Majority Leader (2003-2007)

As a med student he'd adopt cats as pets from the Humane Society, then perform operations on them, resulting in their deaths.