Convicted Animal Abuser Beth Hoskins was supposed turn herself into authorities at 5 p.m. Friday, after a judge denied her stay.
But the time came and went, and Hoskins never appeared at the jail. 7 Eyewitness News spoke to her attorney, who says Hoskins will turn herself in, and she finally did - almost an hour late.
Attorneys for Hoskins, who a judge sentenced to 90 days behind bars for violating her probation earlier this week, sought a stay to prevent Hoskins from having to go to jail. That stay was denied Friday afternoon and Hoskins was had until 5 p.m. to report to the jail.
She failed to show up on time at the Erie County Holding Center. It is unknown if there will be a consequence for reporting to the jail an hour past the time the judge ordered.
Hoskins, a convicted animal abuser, was ordered to sell 32 of her 68 horses, which she failed to do. She also did not properly report to her probation officer, didn't provided veterinary reports for her horses and was taking care of more horses than the court ordered. The prosecution also claimed that a veterinarian found a dead horse in Hoskins' barn on October 16th.
"Instead of a pattern of compliance, she showed a pattern of defiance," said prosecutor Michael Drmacich. "In keeping the animals until the last possible moment until she actually faced jail time."
This year, Hoskins created this music video in response to her ongoing court battle, showing that she has a drive to not give up:
The video was referenced in court on Tuesday, with prosecutors pointing to it to describe Hoskins’ continued opposition to the judge’s orders. Hoskins’ defense attorney Thomas Eoannou countered that Hoskins’ case was being treated differently than other animal abuse cases, especially due to the media attention it's gotten over the years.
Eoannou says Hoskins has been mostly compliant with her probation for the past 13 months, and missed only one report due to family matters.
It was four and a half years ago, in March of 2010, when the Erie County SPCA raided Hoskins' Town of Aurora farm, and seized dozens of animals. Since then, Hoskins has been in and out of the courtroom as she fought to keep the horses in her care.
Erie County Executive Director Barbara Carr says she's seen that type of behavior before.
"Far too often. Far, far too often, I see people who are not willing to get rid of their animals in order for their animals to have a better chance," she said.
Hoskins' 90 day sentence could be commuted to 60 days with good behavior.
Eoannou says with his client going to jail, her criminal case is over. The sale of the horses will then be decided in a separate civil case.
