The doctor accused of nearly starving her dog to death—a sickening crime discovered only because a work crew happened upon the malnourished dog inside a tote bin during a clean-up assignment—was sentenced to probation.
Anita Damodaran, 38, was being evicted from her Lincoln Park apartment earlier this year when workers hired by her landlord discovered a malnourished dog named Betty, officials said.
During Damodaran’s initial court appearance, prosecutors said the workers had been told to stay away from three plastic bins on the back porch. But one of the women noticed a nose sticking out of a bin and thought it may have been a stuffed animal. It was Betty.
“Two women discovered her, barely alive in a plastic container that had crates stacked on top of it,” according to the Hinsdale Humane Society. “Fully matted, extremely underweight, and scared to even move, Betty stared at the women who pulled her out of the container. Miraculously, she survived because of a small hole in the lid that let in oxygen.”
Betty was also malnourished and covered in filth. The workers took her to a vet for treatment. According to Garrido’s court advocate report, she weighed just 19 pounds, less than half of her healthy weight.
“She had compression wounds, extensive matting, and was estimated to have been starved for at least one month,” the foundation’s report said.
Damodaran pleaded guilty to aggravated cruelty to animals before Judge Shelley Sutker-Dermer in exchange for two years of probation. If she completes the program successfully, she may have the case wiped from her record.
The judge permitted Damodaran to complete probation in Florida, where she now lives.
“She can expunge it. Erase it. Like Betty never existed. Like the horror never happened,” Garrido’s Stray Rescue Foundation post continued. “But Betty exists. She suffered. She survived. She matters. But we are thankful that Betty survived and is living the life she deserves.”
The doctor accused of nearly starving her dog to death—a sickening crime discovered only because a work crew happened upon the malnourished dog inside a tote bin during a clean-up assignment—was sentenced to probation on Thursday.
cwbchicago.com
Justice Was Not Served – The Case of Betty
Today in Room 108 at the Skokie Courthouse, Judge Sutker-Dermer failed Betty.
17 of us sat in the courtroom. Another 8 watched on Zoom. All of us waited as case after case was called. For over two hours we held our breath, hoping, praying, that justice would prevail.
Instead, we watched Doctor Anita Damodaran, a woman who subjected her own dog, Betty, to unthinkable cruelty, walk away with less than a slap on the wrist from Cook County Judge Shelley Sutker-Dermer. This was not our first animal cruelty case, but it was a first case that was completely disregarded.
As we warned, the defense attempted to manipulate the system through the TASC (Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities) program. Today, they succeeded. Did she get this outcome because she is a DOCTOR? Would she get the same treatment if she was poor and could not afford a lawyer like Jonathan Feldman?
The judge held a second 402 Conference, and we saw the defense attorney smirking at us beforehand, clearly confident in the outcome. They went behind closed doors without the ASA present, since she was slowly gathering her stuff together.
Then we listened as the prosecution read the horrifying facts:
DOCTOR Damodaran placed Betty in a plastic storage tote with her collar and leash on.
She left her there.
She ignored her cries.
She stuck another BIN on top of Betty's.
For over 30 days Betty suffered in darkness for her punishment to end.
Betty resorted to drinking her own urine and eating her own feces just to survive.
By the time she was rescued, Betty was on the brink of death, emaciated and clinging to life. Thanks to the compassion of strangers and the swift work of rescuers and veterinarians, she survived.
And what was Dr. Damodaran’s defense?
That she has a “litany of mental illnesses.” That she has two young children.
The State objected to TASC, rightly arguing that this case did not meet the legal criteria. They asked for real jail time.
Instead, the judge handed down this “sentence”:
2 years of probation, to be served in Tampa, Florida
Mental health and substance abuse treatment
No contact with animals
And a "massive" fine of $75.00. And no restitution to the Hinsdale Humane Society for restitution.
If she completes probation, the case is dismissed, and she walks away with no conviction, no record, as if it never happened.
She can expunge it. Erase it.
Like Betty never existed. Like the horror never happened.
But Betty exists.
She suffered. She survived. She matters.
We are angry. We are heartbroken. We are disgusted by our failed "justice" system.
But we are thankful that Betty survived and is living the life she deserves.
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