Animal advocacy groups hope to see man charged with felony for crash that killed dog

AMHERST – Two animal advocacy groups plan to submit a letter to the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office, hoping to see a man charged for killing a dog during an alleged impaired driving crash in Amherst last month. The Friends of the Lorain County Dog Kennel and Lorain County Pit Crew uploaded copies of a letter the groups plan to send Lorain County Prosecutor Tony Cillo regarding the death of Ishe, a rescued 10-year-old pit mix, who died Dec. 20 after she and her owner, Jessica Paige, were struck by a car. Paige, 65, was walking her dog that afternoon near Rome Beauty Drive and North Quarry Road when they were reportedly hit by a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu driven by Sean Bankston, 34, of Amherst, according to Amherst Police. Paige was seriously injured in the crash, suffering skull, neck, hip, knee and ankle fractures and a brain bleed, according to a GoFundMe campaign. Ishe died at the scene. Bankston has been charged with operating a vehicle under the influence (OVI), OVI refusal, aggravated vehicular assault and reckless operation of a motor vehicle, according to Amherst police. The Friends of Lorain County Dog Kennel and Lorain County Pit Crew hope to see further charges pressed for Ishe's death under Goddard's Law, the 2016 law that made knowingly causing serious harm to a companion animal a fifth-degree felony. Candi Rogers, founder and president of the Lorain County Pit Crew, worked with Paige for years and heard about the crash from mutual friends. "When it all came out in the news, we all decided it's horrible and what about Ishe? Being in the hospital and being really hurt the only thing she could bring herself to say was asking if her dog was OK – and her dog was dead," Rogers said. "All of us were heartbroken." Rogers and others went to a hearing in Oberlin Municipal Court last month and found he was only being charged based on Paige's injuries, not Ishe's death. "There's Goddard's Law, that's what we're hoping for," she said. "He made a conscious choice to get behind the wheel of a vehicle … he made that choice to take the chance of causing harm to anything." Rogers and Tory Mittler, founder and president of the Friends of Lorain County Dog Kennel, said they spoke with the prosecutor in Oberlin Municipal Court who suggested they write a letter to Cillo about their pursuit of justice for Ishe. The letter referenced a 2024 case in Dayton in which a man was charged with a felony under Goddard's Law after he hit and killed a cat while fleeing police. The Dayton Daily News reported the man was indicted on felony charges of failure to comply, cruelty to companion animals, obstructing official business and a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest after fleeing from officers who attempted to pull him over for allegedly running a stop sign on Dec. 7, 2024. The outcome of the Dayton case was not immediately available Saturday. Rogers said anyone who drives while intoxicated knows they are taking a chance at harming or killing a person or animal. "I'm pretty sure if this was a child in a stroller that he would have ran over they would be giving him some murder charges," she said. "We're not trying to (dictate charges) to the prosecutor, we're just trying to give him ideas so he can hopefully look it over." As part of the letter, Rogers and Mittler's organizations are collecting signatures to share with Cillo to show the number of individuals who share their concerns. The pair plan to submit the letter and signatures in the coming days. Cillo was aware of the letter and the case, which was bound over from Oberlin Municipal Court on Dec. 29, but said the case was not at a point to decide if Bankston may face additional charges. A new grand jury will not be selected until the coming week, he said, and from there he and his staff will consider if the facts of the case fit Goddard's Law. Once a grand jury is convened, it will hear evidence to determine whether probable cause exists to proceed with the case and any additional charges. To sign the Friends of Lorain County Dog Kennel and Pit Crew's letter, visit https://forms.gle/7LTeGMp4vHNMkfC26. A copy of the letter as shared on the groups' Facebook pages is attached to this story. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.