Supporters of Sammy the Cocker Spaniel Frustrated at Another Trial Delay

Emotions ran high in a Brick courtroom on Monday as supporters of Sammy the cocker spaniel let their frustrations be known over another delay in the cruelty case against his former owners.

Keith and Shauna Morgan are still working out details of a plea deal causing a delay in the start of a pre-trial hearing according to the  Star Ledger.  If no agreement is reached at another hearing in August a trial would begin in September.

This did not sit well with the 150 supporters of the cocker spaniel who was brought to the  Associated Humane Society in Tinton Falls by Keith Morgan last spring claiming he had watched a car put a bag with Sammy inside along Belmar Boulevard in Brick.

Further investigation by Victor “Buddy” Amato, chief humane law enforcement officer for MSPCA, revealed the dog, which was covered in waste, was actually owned by the Morgans, leading to their arrest on charges of animal cruelty and filing a false report.

Anger In The Courtroom

As the Morgans left the courtroom a woman in the back of the courtroom yelled “Go kill yourself," according to the Star Ledger, and was ordered removed by Judge Robert LePore. “I know this is an emotional issue for many of you … I have no problem with that,” LePore said. “You have to keep your emotions in check.”

The woman, identified as  Sharon Schettina, of Staten Island, said she was upset at another delay in the case, asking "what other evidence are they going to produce?" reports the Patch of Brick.

“The attorneys are going to sit together at the next meeting and hopefully go along with the plea deal that is going to be offered to them,” Amato told the Asbury Park Press.  “Unfortunately, the plea deal has a jail stipulation. If they don’t agree to jail time, then there is going to be a trial and they are going to lose. There is no defense for this.”

The Red Bank Veterinary Hospital nursed Sammy back to heath and he has since been adopted by another family. The hospital's Facebook page on July 2 reported that Sammy "is back to his normal weight, has strength in his legs and pep in his step. His fur is getting long enough that he is almost ready for a professional grooming" and is doing well with his new family.