Animal abuser rehired in animal pound keeper position.

Dog Killer
In 2003, Scene chronicled atrocities at the Summit County Animal Shelter, where supervisors did their best to channel the spirit of Michael Vick. Dogs were denied food so that they wouldn't produce waste, and some were purposely euthanized even when they had an adoptive family waiting <"House of Horrors," October 22, 2003>.

At the center of it all was Jim Farrance, an impressively sadistic pound-keeper who enjoyed watching dogs fight to death. The bosses simply turned their heads. But when Scene's story appeared, Farrance was fired.

Yet it appears he's still in the business of playing Josef Mengele on the public dime.

Unfortunately, it was Jim Farrance who responded to the call. Turns out he'd gotten a new pound-keeping job with the city.

Farrance reminded the women that he was supposed to be off the clock, eating supper at home with his family. So he made sure to take it out on the dog.

Farrance got in his truck and chased the dog through busy intersections for about 10 minutes. "He was gunning it," Walker says. "He was chasing that dog through the streets like a cowboy."

After the high-speed chase, Farrance returned to Murphy's house. He grabbed his catcher's pole and flopped the bleeding dog on the driveway like a dead fish, before writing Murphy a ticket for a $300 fine. "I was screaming," Walker says. "I was sure he was gonna kill her."

A vet would later confirm that the dog had been strangled to within an inch of her life. Walker called the city to complain. But it turns out Akron had no choice but to hire Farrance. After our 2003 story, Farrance, who had been working for the city and the county, was fired from both jobs. So he sued Akron.

Three years later, the two sides reached a settlement: Farrance was hired back.