Prosecutor asked for one count and allow Monica Wong to plead NOLO Judge said NO and set it for trial to late August.
UPDATE!: Monica Wong was sentenced today, 08 /17/23. Her sentence includes one (1) day in jail and 90 months (7.5 years) with random/photographed checks inside home to make sure she never has animals again.
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Monica Wong walked into the Gwinnett County Court Tuesday expecting to resolve 60 charges related to cruelty to animals with a nolo plea to just one. Nolo is used when a defendant accepts the consequences but doesn't admit guilt.
Under the agreement approved by the solicitor’s office, her punishment would have been 12 months probation, a $1,000 fine and community service.
However, State Court Judge Emily Brantley immediately questioned the deal– reviewing photos of the conditions behind the allegations of neglect and hoarding.
“When a person is charged with 60 separate counts of animal cruelty, that’s a serious crime,” said Claudine Wilkins, an animal law expert and attorney.
Wilkins has closely followed the case but had no idea about Tuesday’s plea hearing until a flurry of social media posts went out hours beforehand. The posts urged people to call the judge and solicitor’s office. It’s unclear how many people responded, but Wilkins said she was at least one person to make those calls.
“Nobody seemed to know and a lot of the people that should have been there or subpoenaed were not notified. So there should be more transparency,” Wilkins said.
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