Case of 2 Monessen residents charged with animal cruelty held for court

Spectators couldn’t see the seven videos played Friday during preliminary hearings in animal cruelty cases against two Monessen residents, but they could hear them.

A dog was heard yelping during the first video, prompting gasps, and tears, from some who attended hearings for Douglas White, 27, and MacKinzie Orndoff, 26. A loud thud could be heard in another video that was played on a laptop by Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Ranger for District Judge Wayne Vlasic and two defense attorneys.

The videos were recorded by surveillance footage at Eli Piasecki’s home across Knox Avenue over about seven months.

“I just let it build up to actually make a case,” he said.

Vlasic ordered Friday enough evidence had been presented by prosecutors to hold White and Orndoff for further prosecution after about two hours of testimony. That testimony included graphic descriptions of dozens of videos Piasecki sent to police in June and reports about five dogs taken from the home — two dead and three alive.

The pair were arrested in late June after Monessen police Officer Rebekah Shrader testified she watched 52 videos sent to the department. In painstaking detail Friday, she went through each video, recorded from December to June, and described what was visible in them. Some showed no criminal activity.

Many showed White being abusive toward dogs at his home, she testified, including him grabbing them by the neck, throwing them across the yard or down a set of porch steps, smashing their face on the ground, dragging them through the yard, holding them in the air by the back of their neck and chasing them. At least one video in March showed him digging a hole in the yard.

Shrader testified police later found two dead dogs in the yard. A necropsy showed they both likely died of starvation, and one had a broken jaw.

Orndoff appeared in a few of the videos. Shrader said none of the recordings showed Orndoff abusing the animals.

Monessen police Officer Alex Byers said authorities served a search warrant at the home June 27. They got help with the excavation from Monessen’s streets department in an effort to locate the two dogs that had been buried, he said.

The three dogs rescued — an Aussie mix and two German shepherds, an adult and a puppy — appeared scared, said Humane Society Police Officer Dina Perri, who volunteers with All But Furgotten. They all had intestinal parasites and were underweight. The Aussie was drooling and vomiting and had infected wounds, she said. It was covered with black flies and carpenter ants in the yard when investigators got there.

The adult German shepherd had a double ear infection and collapsed at a veterinarian’s office.

“Her body went into shock,” Perri testified.

All But Furgotten is still caring for the dogs.

Attorney Kevin Chernosky argued there hadn’t been a positive identification of White as the person depicted in the videos.

“It’s a far stretch to call this torture,” he said.

Attorney Eduardo Chacon said none of the videos showed Orndoff involved in any criminal activity.

“At no time is she observed putting her hands on or maltreating any of the animals,” he argued.

Ranger said Orndoff’s presence in the home indicates she was responsible for providing veterinary care for the animals.

White is charged with 13 offenses including aggravated cruelty to animals, torture, neglect and related offenses. Orndoff is charged with aggravated cruelty to animals and neglect. They both are charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. Police testimony indicated they both had access to a marijuana pipe at the time of the search warrant.

Both are free on $500,000 bail each.