Woman sentenced for mistreatment of 7 animals

COURTESY HAWAIIAN HUMANE SOCIETY

Lira Ikeda must pay fines and restitution and perform 350 hours of community service for leaving her boyfriend’s dogs to nearly starve to death. The dogs have been rehabilitated and adopted by new families.

COURTESY HAWAIIAN HUMANE SOCIETY

Lira Ikeda, 39, was ordered yesterday to pay $1,085 in fines and perform 350 hours of community service for leaving her ex-boyfriend's seven dogs weeks without food, water and proper hygienic care in 2008. One of the pets is shown above.

An Ewa District judge ordered a 39-year-old woman to pay $1,085 in fines and perform 350 hours of community service for leaving her ex-boyfriend's seven dogs weeks without food, water and proper hygienic care in 2008.

Lira Ikeda also was barred from owning animals for a year after pleading no contest to seven counts of animal cruelty, the city Prosecutor's Office said.

Ikeda will also pay a restitution fee to the Hawaiian Humane Society that will be determined at a Sept. 19 hearing, the office said.

Ikeda was designated as the caregiver for her ex-boyfriend's dogs in December 2008. The Hawaiian Humane Society said they received numerous reports of pungent odor and incessant barking coming from a Crosspointe townhouse near Aloha Stadium.

The animal welfare organization said it discovered the dogs in emaciated condition and near death. The owner of the animals surrendered his dogs to the Hawaiian Humane Society, which rehabilitated them in foster care. The dogs have been adopted into new families.

According to the Hawaiian Humane Society, Ikeda had failed show up in court several times, and a bench warrant was issued for her arrest. She was found and arrested after her photo was posted on the Honolulu CrimeStoppers website under the Animal Crimestoppers division.