On Wednesday, William N. Bednar once again appeared in a Mahoning County courtroom. It has been almost a year since Bednar was arrested in connection with the deaths of two puppies.
On January 30, 2012, two six-week-old puppies lay dead in the snow behind the Western Reserve Transit Authority bus station. The German Shepherd puppies had shoelaces tied around their necks and legs in a way that the more they struggled, the more the nooses would tighten. A week earlier, another puppy was found with the same type of noose, however that dog did survive.
Bednar, 56-years-old and homeless, was charged with two counts of cruelty to companion animals. Security cameras at the bus station put him in the vicinity of the station where the puppies were found. Bednar already had quite a history of abusing animals.
In 2000, he served time after police were called out to his then home after neighbors reported hearing puppies crying. Bednar was seen standing over a 55-gallon drum barbecue. In the drum were the remains of charred puppies. At that time, Bednar was sent to a mental facility after being convicted on cruelty to companion animal charges.
In 2011, Bednar stole a dog and chained it in the woods.
Last year, Bednar was spotted pushing his shopping cart down the street where a black Labrador retriever was found with part of its right rear leg and tail cut off. Although his involvement cannot be proved in this and other cruelty cases, tortured dogs have turned up in areas which Bednar is known to frequent, including a dog starved to death in the woods and another found alive but tied up and left to die.
The day before he was arrested in 2012 for killing the German Shepherd puppies, Bednar was seen pushing his cart in downtown Youngstown. The cart held the remains of both a dead squirrel and peregrine falcon.
In January 2012, he was convicted of theft and animal cruelty. After a competency evaluation was performed, in April he was ordered to undergo treatment for six months at Heartland Behavioral Hospital. Once treatment ended in October, it was determined that Bednar was competent to stand trial. He is also being charged with a probation violation.
A jury trial has been scheduled for February 11, 2013. R. Scott Krichbaum will be the presiding judge on this case. Owners of pets in Youngstown may rest a little easier, as William N. Bednar is currently being held at the Mahoning County jail.
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