New Procedure for Loose Dog Tickets Discussed at NJ Town Council Meeting

North Judson’s Town Marshal has been coordinating with officials at Knox City Court in order to add more teeth to the town’s procedures for dealing with loose dogs.

Town Marshal Kelly Fisher and Code Enforcement Officer Joe Leszek have been consistently battling a problem with dogs running loose in town. Marshal Fisher said the issue they face is that even when the owners are found and ticketed for the animal, the fines go unpaid and the problems persist.

In order to increase the consequences, the tickets issued for loose dogs that go unpaid for 15 days from the initial issuance will now go the court system. Fisher noted this is how they already deal with unpaid speeding tickets.

“If they ticket doesn’t get paid, we send it over to Knox City Court. They will summons them in to court and they can either plead guilty or not guilty. If they decide to plead not guilty, a court date will be set for trial that day.”

Fisher said that this doesn’t just apply to future violations, previously unpaid tickets can be submitted to the court as well.

Once it reaches this level, the person would not only be responsible for the initial violation fee, but they could also face additional court costs. If the person still refuses to acknowledge the ticket and the court summons, they could potentially have their license suspended or have a warrant issued.

On a related note, Marshal Fisher encouraged all citizens to be sure to have their pets have town-issued tags on so that if the animal escapes accidentally it can be returned to its rightful owner. She said that officers on the Police Department have been instructed to take all untagged animals to the Starke County Humane Society.