Court: Therapy dog didn't sway jury against sex offender

Source: AP

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — A therapy dog used to calm a testifying young victim did not influence the jury during the trial of an Ohio man who was convicted of having sex with a minor and providing drugs to another, an appeals court ruled.

The Akron Beacon Journal (http://bit.ly/1LIPvXd ) reports the ruling on Michael Jacobs' complaint to the 9th District Court of Appeals is considered important in Ohio because it was the first time a state appellate court heard a case challenging the use of therapy dogs during trial.

Jacobs was convicted in 2014 of having sex with a minor and providing drugs to another. He's serving a four-year prison sentence.

He argued that the Labrador-golden retriever mix brought in by county prosecutors, named Avery II, was a distraction in the Summit County courtroom.

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Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/635d36ca06b34633b098f11b5a094c0a/court-therapy-dog-didnt-sway-jury-against-sex-offender