Crime & Safety

U.S. Attorney Moves to Deny Clements Bond

Clements, accused of shooting a dog and leaving him for dead in a Cleveland Heights park, will remain in jail until a Jan. 25 hearing.

Editor's Note: More information was added to this article at 5:37 p.m.

A man accused of shooting a dog and leaving him for dead in a Cleveland Heights park will remain in jail until a Jan. 25 hearing where prosecutors will argue that he should be denied bond.

Ramone Clements, 42, of Cleveland, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday and a warrant was issued for his arrest. A U.S. Attorney spokesperson said that Clements was arrested on Finn Avenue in Cleveland at around 11 a.m. Thursday.

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A representative from the Public Animal Welfare Society of Ohio (PAWS) said that the arrest stemmed from a call to the agency's tip line.

Clements pleaded not guilty to having ammunition as a felon in U.S. Federal Court in Cleveland Thursday afternoon. 

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See all stories on the Forest Hill dog shooting.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Galvin moved to deny Clements bond, and the judge ordered that he remain in jail pending a Jan. 25 detention hearing when the judge will rule on his bond.

Foreest's new owner Robin Stone was present at the hearing, along with her partner, representatives from PAWS, the rescue organization that took Forrest in, Cleveland Heights Police officers involved in the case, and a handful of supporters.

She called it "fantastic" that Clements was arrested this morning. "I'm just hoping they can slap more charges on him," she added. 

Her partner Patti Harris chimed in, "We really didn't doubt that he would be arrested. I'm just glad he's a lousy shot."

Clements is accused of firing four rounds at Forrest and hitting him twice: once in the jaw and once in the shoulder. He escaped with a shattered tooth and broken leg.

He was first charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty and a weapons charge, and later prosecutors brought a felony against him for having a weapon as a felon.

This new federal indictment means that he faces ten years in prison instead of about five and a half, but the first three charges were dropped.

Dog Forrest's New Owner: Clements' Federal Indictment is "Bittersweet"

Those in the courtroom said that the room fell silent when Clements walked in, handcuffed and still dressed in street clothes.

"It was heart-stopping to see someone that big walk in, and I wondered, what did Forrest feel when it happened?" said Harris.

PAWS executive director Amy Beichler was at the hearing, and Forrest, along with dogs named Nitro and Herbie, has become a poster dog for their campaign to make animal abuse a more serious crime in Ohio.

"I hope that it's an educational moment for the entire state of Ohio that we have to protect our animals," said Beichler. "I know that they dropped the misdemeanor charge, but we haven't. We will continue to fight for Forrest, and Herbie, and Nitro."


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