Diane Pitone News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

By Jef Rietsma Journal Correspondent A woman at the center of the largest animal-hoarding incident in the history of St. Joseph County Animal Control was sentenced Friday. Diane Pitone, 49, appearing before circuit court judge Paul Stutesman, was ordered to pay restitution of nearly $5,000 to the agency. Stutesman, taking into consideration a number of factors, did not order jail time or probation. Appearing via Zoom alongside attorney Stephen Rabaut, Pitone said she never meant to bring harm to any of the more than 150 cats retrieved in summer 2020 from a Fishers Lake home in Park Township....

CENTREVILLE, MI (WNWN/WTVB) – A plea agreement has been filed in the case of a St. Joseph County woman who was charged last August after more than 210 cats were found in deplorable conditions at two homes. 44-year-old Diane Pitone entered a guilty plea to a felony charge of abandoning or cruelty to between 10 and 25 animals at a home in Park Township. The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of four years but prosecutors will ask that time behind bars be suspended. In addition, prosecutors will not pursue charges after more than 60 cats were removed from her boyfriend’s home in Three ...

A roundup of the Journal’s top local news stories for 2020, not related to the pandemic.St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough was arrested May 11 after being involved in a single-vehicle crash in the 17000 block of Lovers Lane in Lockport Township. McDonough, who also was cited for having open intoxicants in the vehicle, was elected prosecutor in 2008.  McDonough underwent hospitalization not related to the incident, causing delays in the case. In November, a settlement