When Bonnie Ritchie stole a blind woman’s guide dog in February, she took more than the woman’s companion. She also took her sense of safety.
Ritchie, 22, of Dayton, was sentenced to an additional 15 days in the Montgomery County Jail Thursday for stealing the female Rottweiler from the backyard of a home on North Irwin Street on Feb. 17. She pleaded guilty to one count of theft from an elderly or disabled person, a fifth-degree felony, last month. Ritchie’s already served 35 days in jail.
Before sentencing, the woman whose dog was stolen, Sheryl Williams, told Judge Mary Wiseman she couldn’t forgive Ritchie for the theft. She said her dog, Diamond, served as her guide dog and helped protect her and her family.
“I hope you never put another family through what you put my family through. I hope you have regrets about this,” she said.
While Ritchie didn’t offer any personal apologies in court, her attorney, Arthur Ames, did apologize to Williams on his client’s behalf. He also said jail has been unbearable for her.
“Jail has been a very unhappy and frightening experience for my client and she begs the court to free her at this time,” Ames said.
Ritchie faced a possible year in prison for the crime. When she was arrested in March, Ritchie denied stealing the dog and instead claimed she found it wandering down the street without tags on. She sold Diamond on Craigslist. The man who purchased it saw a story on News Center 7 about Williams’ missing dog and realized he’d purchased the animal and called police.
In addition to her jail sentence, Ritchie will be on probation for five years and will have to go through a theft program, and pay $189 in fines and restitution in addition to court costs. If she violates the terms of her probation, she could serve a year in prison.
Diamond is now living in a new home with Williams, adding that she does not allow the dog to go outside without supervision.
