I think we all can now breathe a little easier that Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin’s office has gotten justice in the big Case of the Maui Resident Who Didn’t Properly Leash His Dogs. That’s right–today Lady Justice’s hammer fell on Maui Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Mark Simonds (granted, it was a tiny hammer, but still).
“The defendant pled no contest to one count of violating Maui’s leash law,” said AG spokesperson Joshua Wisch in a Nov. 17 email. “He was convicted and sentenced to a $50 fine. The offense is a violation, so the maximum penalty is $500 and there is no jail time. In return for defendant’s plea, the State agreed to dismiss the remaining charges.”
Of course, this is a considerable step back from the 14-count indictment Chin’s office handed down back in July. That 11-page document detailed 13 counts of leash law violations and one count of possessing an unlicensed dog, each of which could have brought a $500 fine. And that would have been very bad for Simonds and his dogs… um… you know, I don’t think I ever found out his dogs’ names.
“I think I will decline in the interests of his/her privacy,” Simonds said when I asked him for the name of his dogs. “Thanks for understanding.”
Click here to read the AG’s original indictment of Simonds.
Click here for my July story on the case and local media coverage of it.
Image: Pixabay
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