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Kent Council will decide the fate of Jerry Jaap’s miniature donkeys
‘I might sound crazy, but they’re the cutest little animals you’ve ever seen.’
By Gina Butkovich and Mikey Indriolo
UPDATE: Kent City Council voted Wednesday night to approve the addition of criminal penalties for violations of the livestock ordinance.
Two miniature donkeys are eating the grass by the side of Jerry Jaap’s house north of Kent. It’s a sunny day but the house keeps the donkeys’ area well shaded, and the fencing around their area keeps them from leaving the yard.
The donkeys are Jaap’s pets, which he loves and cares for at his house on Hudson Road, across from Stanton Middle School. There isn’t enough grass in the yard for the donkeys to eat, so Jaap buys hay for them. Visitors are allowed to stop by to take photos with them and pet the furry creatures.
“I might sound crazy, but they’re the cutest little animals you’ve ever seen,” Jaap said. “They behave like well-mannered dogs. They love to be petted.”
But not everybody loves the animals. Following complaints about Jaap’s donkeys, Kent City Council will vote tonight on a measure to add criminal penalties to existing regulations for farm animals and livestock kept in residential areas. The proposed regulations would make the existing penalties more severe, allowing police to charge Jaap with a third-degree misdemeanor if he continues to keep his donkeys. If charged with a third-degree misdemeanor, Jaap faces a $500 fine and up to 60 days in jail. Anyone previously convicted of keeping farm animals would be charged with a first-degree misdemeanor.
Jaap doesn’t know who complained about his donkeys or why, but he doesn’t believe he’s committed any crime. The city would not say who complained about the donkeys either. One resident wrote to The Portager to say “not sure why this is a problem.”
When Jaap first moved into his house, it was part of Franklin Township. Fourteen years ago, the area was annexed into the City of Kent. At the time, he owned a pygmy goat, but sold it about a year later. Then he bought a potbelly pig and the donkeys. Because he has owned farm animals for years, Jaap believes he should be “grandfathered” into Franklin Township’s laws. He compared it to suddenly criminalizing gun ownership.
“To me, it seems illegal, immoral, I don’t know what,” he said.
The city administration brought the new penalties before council based on the recommendation of Hope Jones, Kent’s law director. During a June 3 council committee meeting, Jones said she was asked specifically by former Kent Police Chief Michelle Lee to look into possible remedies to livestock issues in the city.
Council members said during the committee hearing that the new regulations created another opportunity to address violations. They said it would be the same type of remedy used to address dangerous dogs.
According to the ordinance, livestock can mean anything from horses to mules. It also means any animals normally found in the wild state which are being kept for exhibition purposes or as private pets.
“When I looked at it, I noticed that if there was someone that violated the farm animal or livestock section, the only remedy the city has is a civil remedy, and that would be to file an injunctive action against that person,” Jones said. “That to me feels a little odd, and it’s always nice to have that option there, but it’s also kind of time consuming.”
With the proposed new regulations, animal control officers will be sent out to speak with those believed to be violating the farm animal ordinance. The owner would be asked to comply. And if they don’t, police would issue a criminal citation.
“The first violation would be a misdemeanor of the third degree,” Jones said. “If you had more than one violation it would be a misdemeanor of the first degree. It would go to Kent municipal court and be handled there.”
The full council will vote on the issue tonight at 7:30 p.m. The broadcast of the meeting will be available live on the City of Kent Youtube channel.
For now, the donkeys get to remain in Jaap’s yard, eating hay and grass in the shade.
This article was produced through a reporting partnership with the Collaborative News Lab @ Kent State University.
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