Some judges just like to take a slightly different approach when it comes to punishing people for small crimes they’ve committed. Judge Michael Cicconetti from Ohio certainly has a thing for handing out unique punishments to people and has quickly gone viral because of it.
“A judge can simply follow the law and if somebody committed the crime, here are the possible penalties,” the judge told ABC. “How much of that do I impose? Sure, you can do that and you go home and you can rest easy. Or you can take each case a little more personal and still apply that same law.”
In the courtroom, Michael Cicconetti almost always hands out creative punishments as an alternative to a hefty fine or time in jail. The judge heard the story of Alyssa Morrow in his courtroom, who severely neglected her pet and was accused of animal neglect and cruelty, to which she plead guilty.
Her adorable seven-year-old pit-bull Moose suffered from health issues after spending a week at Alyssa’s house. Her house was – to say the least – in a filthy state that was absolutely unfit for a person or a dog to live in. The judge referred to her home as it was belonging to a hoarder. Because Alyssa clearly couldn’t take care of Moose, he was put up for adoption.
The normal jail time for an animal neglect case such as this one is generally 90 days, but Judge Cicconetti offered Alyssa an alternative, creative punishment as well. He tasked her with spending eight long hours picking up garbage in a local dump.
“Just think about what you did to that dog when you smell the odor,” he said to her in his courtroom.
Alyssa gladly accepted the alternative punishment.
“I definitely didn’t think I’d be here [at a dump], but I’d rather be here than jail. I can’t complain.”
This case of animal neglect wasn’t the only one that Judge Cicconetti handled in a creative manner. Teen Jordan Wash was convicted of stealing a bicycle and plead guilty. Instead of going to jail just like Alyssa, the judge offered him another punishment: to ride a bike for a local charity parade.
“I think it’s better than going to jail because I can show people that I can do better in my community and show them I’m not just another person that will make a stupid mistake or do dumb decisions. And I want to show my community I can do better,” the teen said.
One thing’s for sure: the woman who neglected Moose certainly got a taste of her own medicine thanks to the creative punishments of Judge Cicconetti.
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