Crime & Safety

Accused Dog Shooter Faces Jury in Federal Court

Trial for Ramone Clements, 42, of Cleveland, began Monday with jury selection.

Jury selection began Monday in the trial of a man accused of chaining a dog to a tree and shooting him in a Cleveland Heights park.

Ramone "Raymone" Clements pleaded not guilty to charges of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, according to The Plain Dealer.

The ammunition charge carries a greater sentence if Clements is convicted than his original animal cruelty charge, which was dropped after his federal indictment.

Find out what's happening in Cleveland Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Animal rights activists have balked at the charges, arguing that Clements should face hard time for how he treated Forrest the dog, not because he possessed bullets.

Clements, 42, of Cleveland, is not allowed to own guns or ammunitions because he has previous convictions in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas for rape in 2006, drug trafficking in 2003 and aggravated robbery in 1991, according to his indictment.

Find out what's happening in Cleveland Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He faces between 19 and 24 years in prison if he is convicted.

Though Clements was originally charged in local courts for animal cruelty and weapons charges, those charges were dropped in lieu of his federal prosecution.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Cleveland Heights