CHESTERLAND NEWS VOLUME 49 No. 20
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Your Community Newspaper Since 1967
Chester Man First Charged Under Goddard’s Law Dennis Dudich Accused of Shooting Dog BY JOHN KARLOVEC NEWS@CHESTERLANDNEWS.COM
A Chester Township man is the first person in Geauga County to be charged under Goddard’s Law after being accused of shooting a neighbor’s dog on Jan. 21. Dennis Dudich, 68, of Bentbrook Drive, was indicted Feb. 1 for allegedly killing the 3-year-old English Bulldog named Zoey, who was euthanized Jan. 22 after it was determined a bullet had severed her spinal cord and she likely would never walk again. Goddard’s Law, also known as House Bill 60, makes knowingly causing serious physical harm to a companion animal a fifth-degree
felony, punishable by six months to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. The bill, which became law in September, is named after Dick Goddard, a long-time WJW Channel 8 weatherman and animal activist. A grand jury indicted Dudich on one count each of animal cruelty concerning a companion animal and discharge of a firearm on or near prohibited premises, a fourthdegree misdemeanor. He is scheduled to be arraigned before Judge Forrest Burt at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 17. “This is the first Goddard’s Law prosecution in Geauga County,” Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz said Thursday. “Given the facts of this case, I believe it is an appropri-
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Zoey, a 65-lb English Bulldog, would have turned 4 April 1. He was put to sleep after a neighbor shot him twice Jan. 21.
ate application of this new law.” Zoey’s owner, Marcus Yagour, who lives with his parents, Mark
and Peggy, two houses to the east of Dudich’s home, said Dudich shot the 65-pound Zoey — who was not on his property — around 5:30 p.m. because he believed she was a white cat that had been leaving muddy paw prints on his deck. Marcus said police told him Dudich shot her with a .22-caliber rifle, equipped with a magnified scope, from at least 50 yards. “It was marksmanship,” he added. Marcus was given Zoey as a puppy when he was living in Charlotte, N.C. On Jan. 21, Marcus said Zoey and his brother’s dog, Sadie, a Pit Bull rescue, were outside in a thick-wooded area in the backyard of an adjoining neighbor — property they had permission to be on. See Goddard’s Law w Page 3
WG Kiwanis Gilmour Girl Accelerates Innovation STEM Fair Rewards Brilliance BY ROSE NEMUNAITIS EDITOR@GEAUGAMAPLELEAF.COM
BY AMY PATTERSON EDITOR@GEAUGAMAPLELEAF.COM Ever ything from lava lamp technology to the dangers of animals eating plastic to cancer research were touched on at the Kiwanis Club of West Geauga’s 18th Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Fair at West Geauga Middle School Feb. 4. Students enrolled in West Geauga Schools or those homeschooled in the district were invited to participate in a variety of activities, from a math competition to the “Junk Box War”. For the Junk Box War, each team of two to three students is given an identical box of “junk” — scrap wood and other material — and told to build a machine with it to carry out a specific task. This year’s task was to make a pill counter, and West Geauga seniors Alexis Ange and Marin Musser won for best design. The fair also included a timed math test, which Dylan Laurianti won for the 10th through 12th grade level and Allison George won See STEM Fair w Page 5
Gilmour Academy junior Ava Thomas, of Chester Township, wants to make a memorable difference in the lives of those affected by memory loss. She is one of 25 inspiring entrepreneurs from across the region who will share their civic visions Feb. 22 at Accelerate 2017: Make Change, presented by Citizens Bank and the Cleveland Leadership Center at the Global Center for Health Innovations in Cleveland. “I got interested in this competition because I consider myself a social entrepreneur,” said Thomas of her Memor y Mat invention. “I have been visiting the West Geauga Senior Center since I was in second grade at Saint Anselm School.” The goal of the event is to accelerate the progress of Northeast Ohio by helping launch ideas that aim to improve the community. Thomas created a personalized do-it-yourself placemat with pictures and phrases that act as memory cues for individuals with Alzheimer’s or dementia that also serves as a conversation starter for visitors and caregivers. Her inspiration for the Memory Mat was spending time with her grandfather and other
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Ava Thomas shares her Memory Mat prototype with residents of Maplewood assisted living community
seniors at West Geauga Senior Center and Heather Hill. “I learned that once I found the right topic to talk about at the lunch table, the seniors would really open up and enthusiastically engage in conversation,” Thomas said. Thomas is the youngest competition presenter, selected from a field of 80 applicants.
Five finalists will be narrowed down in five pitch categories, with an overall winner awarded $5,000. “Other projects range from technology-based solutions and inter-generational and neighborhood programs to a global bazaar,” said Michael Bennett, Cleveland Leadership Center viceSee Memory Mat w Page 4
As of May 2016, the Chesterland News switched to publishing every other week. Karlovec Media Group reserves the right to change, cancel or add publication dates at any time. Feb. 22 March 8 March 22 April 5 April 19 May 3 May 17 May 31 June 14 June 28 July 12
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