Sarah Hays
Sarah W. Hays was a federal magistrate judge with the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri. She was appointed to this position in 1992.[1] She retired from the court on September 1, 2018.[2]
Early life and education
Judge Hays was born in 1953, in Salina, Kansas. She earned her bachelor's degree from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge in 1975. In 1977, she received her J.D. from the same school.[1]
Career
- 1986-1992: Of Counsel/Partner, Morrison & Hecker
- 1980-1986: Associate, Gage & Tucker
- 1977-1980: Law Clerk to Hon. Judge Russell G. Clark
Noteworthy cases
Midwest dog-fighting ring (2009)
- See also: United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri (United States v. Rick P. Hihath, Cris E. Bottcher, et al., 5:09-cr-06007-ODS)
- See also: United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri (United States v. Rick P. Hihath, Cris E. Bottcher, et al., 5:09-cr-06007-ODS)
Judge Hays presided over Rick P. Hihath's and Cris E. Bottcher's court appearance. The two men were arrested and charged as part of nation-wide raids on dog-fighting operations in Missouri, Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Mississippi. They were each charged with conspiracy to acquire and breed pit bull dogs for the purpose of entering them in animal fighting ventures, and two counts of sponsoring or exhibiting a dog in an animal fighting venture. The indictment alleged that the defendants routinely destroyed dogs by shooting them in the head, then throwing the bodies into a river or burning them. On July 10, 2009, she ordered the two men, among 26 charged, released on $10,000 bond pending trial. She also ordered that they refrain from any contact with dogs.[3][4]
Hihath was eventually sentenced to 16 months in prison by; Bottcher, who was captured in a video apparently executing two dogs with a rifle, was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison. Judge Ortrie Smith presided over the trial and sentencing.[5]
See also
- United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
- United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, "Biography of Judge Hays," accessed July 21, 2014
- ↑ U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, "PUBLIC NOTICE APPOINTMENT OF U.S. MAGISTRATE JUDGE Western District of Missouri," January 16, 2018
- ↑ Fox News, "Men facing dogfighting charges plead not guilty," July 10, 2009
- ↑ KHQ-TV, "Seven defendants from three states indicted for dog fighting," July 8, 2009
- ↑ St. Joseph News-Press, "Man sentenced for dogfighting," Friday May 18, 2012
Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri
State courts:
Missouri Supreme Court • Missouri Court of Appeals • Missouri Circuit Courts • Missouri Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Missouri • Missouri judicial elections • Judicial selection in Missouri
