Superior Court in Derby.
ANSONIA – Three men accused of neglecting 11 dogs in an Ansonia house are scheduled to appear in court March 26.
Javon Coverson, Assante Coverson, and Hezekiah Johnson-Coverson each face charges of animal cruelty in connection to the case. They have also been charged with animal vaccine and registration infractions.
Each defendant has a different lawyer: Javon Coverson is represented by New Haven attorney Brittany Paz. Assante Coverson is represented by Ansonia attorney Caroline Baird.
Michael Boynton represents Hezekiah.
Two animal advocates – attorneys Jim Fiore and Lori Mizerak – have been appointed by the court to “represent the interests of justice” in the case. Their role is similar to that of a victims’ rights advocate, according to the University of Connecticut School of Law.
The three defendants made a brief court appearance Feb. 25.
Boynton said the case may not see resolution for some time yet, due to the need to coordinate appearances between five different lawyers.
Javon and Assante Coverson were initially arrested after over a dozen animals were seized from a Condon Drive home on June 6, 2024.
Police said that 11 dogs and three cats were removed from the house in emaciated and sickly conditions. Two dogs were in such poor condition that they had to be put down after they were brought to the veterinarian’s office.
A police incident report stated that the house’s garage “had an odor of animal urine and feces that was so potent once the doors opened up it could easily be smelled from outside.”
Ansonia Animal Control Officer Jeanne Roslonowski said one of the dogs was a mastiff that weighed only 51 pounds – when it should have weighed between 90 and 110 pounds, she said.
Hezekiah Johnson-Coverson was arrested about a month later in connection to the same investigation.
In addition to the court-appointed advocates, about half a dozen members of “Desmond’s Army” sat quietly in the front rows of the courtroom, wearing purple T‑shirts with a dog’s face emblazoned on the front.
The group is a volunteer organization that seeks to be “a voice for the voiceless in the courts and at the Capitol,” according to their website’s mission statement. Their website includes a calendar with court dates for animal cruelty cases throughout Connecticut.
Members of the group declined to comment outside the courtroom, as did the court-appointed animal advocates.
Javon Coverson’s case has appeared on the docket eight times; Assante Coverson and Hezekiah Johnson-Coverson’s cases have appeared seven times.
