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Farmer tells court he meant no harm
A veteran Mayo Road cattle farmer will have to be on his best behaviour for the next three years, after being found guilty of threatening a local animal rights activist.
Photo by Whitehorse Star
Jim Dillabough and Mike Grieco
A veteran Mayo Road cattle farmer will have to be on his best behaviour for the next three years, after being found guilty of threatening a local animal rights activist.
Jim Dillabough was charged with uttering death threats following a phone conversation with Mike Grieco, a Whitehorse resident and prolific letter-to-the-editor writer.
Dillabough had called Grieco to confront him about a letter to the Star in which Grieco wrote:
“In my opinion, Mr. Dillabaugh (sic) is responsible for allowing the animals in his care to be in harm’s way .... There have been complaints about the animals in Mr. Dillabaugh’s care wandering loose. Who is responsible if these animals are hit by vehicles on the highway?”
The letter came in response to a news story about Dillabough’s horses being attacked and killed by wolves. The farmer’s solution, which Grieco objected to, was to set snares for the predators.
In the phone conversation, Dillabough allegedly said to Grieco: “Aren’t you afraid of what might happen to you because of your letters?” and “If you’re outside the fence, it’s f——-g open season on you too.”
Dillabough, who was self-represented at his trial this week, admitted he said something to that effect, but that he was speaking generally and not threatening to actually harm Grieco.
But Judge Donald Luther ultimately decided that a reasonable person would consider the words a threat, and found Dillabough guilty.
After the verdict was handed down, Grieco took the stand once again to deliver his victim impact statement.
He said he harbours no ill will against Dillabough but still feels threatened by him.
Grieco also asked that his girlfriend, Rachel Westfall, be included in any no-contact orders.
The farmer was ordered to pay a $200 fine, do 60 hours of community service and is on probation for the next three years.
During that time, he cannot contact Grieco nor Westfall.
In his judgment, Luther noted that he did not want to infringe on Dillabough’s freedom of speech in any way.
He made a special note allowing him to “write letters to the editor to counter any views expressed by Mike Grieco or Rachel Westfall.”
mosi
Dec 19, 2009 at 10:41 am
The farmer is MY HERO. I would have reacted the same way. I am sick and tired of all these so called tree-hugging /animal rights activists legislating behaviour in a Community that puts people at risk. God Bless Jim