ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Joseph Lee was sentenced Monday for the abuse of a husky puppy and will serve six months in jail and undergo counseling at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center, but a conflict broke out in the hallway and outside the courthouse, followed by a second arrest.

Lee, 29, of New Jersey had pleaded guilty to fifth-degree felony cruelty to a companion animal. His attorney, Lucas D. Trott, asked Belmont County Common Pleas Judge John Vavra to consider community controls as the best course of action for sentencing.

“He has felt a great deal of remorse, and he is especially sorry for the senseless harm that he’s caused this animal,” Trott said.

Trott asked Vavra to consider Lee’s struggle with alcoholism and mental health issues, as well as post traumatic stress disorder from Lee’s past military service. Trott also asked Vavra to consider Lee’s efforts to seek help.

“Those two factors are no excuse for his conduct and he recognizes that there is no excuse, however they offer a great deal of context,” Trott said, adding that Lee has sought mental health counseling and has been sober since February.

Lee said he was remorseful and had reflected on his actions. He said he was continuing to seek help for his issues.

Vavra reviewed Lee’s prior record, which includes a felony conviction for domestic violence in New Jersey, as well as misdemeanor convictions for operating a vehicle under the influence and brandishing a deadly weapon. He also spoke about the serious injuries to the dog.

“You were raising this puppy and it was reliant on you for care,” he said, adding the dog had suffered multiple fractures as well as anemia related to blood loss and presumably related to the broken bones. “You committed this violent act or acts against this dog while still a puppy.”

Vavra also spoke about Lee’s pattern of substance abuse.

“According to your own statement, you were highly intoxicated when you committed these crimes,” Vavra said.

Belmont County Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan had earlier said the evidence and nature of the injuries including multiple fractures in different stages of healing suggest the abuse may have gone on for at least a month.

Vavra said the state legislature requires that he take Lee’s honorable discharge from the National Guard of the Army and his diagnosis of PTSD into account.

Vavra imposed three years of community controls, including six months in jail, six months of counseling at EOCC and a reserve sentence of one year in the event of any violations.

Afterward, Trott commented about the sentence.

“Joseph took responsibility with full knowledge that there’d be consequences. At this point he is committed to working on himself as he has been for the last couple of months,” he said.

Following the sentencing, a woman apparently associated with Lee confronted members of the humane organization Belmont County Hoof and Paw, who gathered evidence about the case and are now taking care of the dog. Some heated words were exchanged in the hallway outside the courtroom, and the woman approached and confronted the group outside the courthouse.

Julie Larish, humane officer with the group, said the evidence indicated Lee’s guilt. The woman expressed disbelief and accused the group of having white privilege and racism. She and other members of the group exchanged heated words about who would lose a physical altercation. A sheriff’s deputy on courthouse security told the woman to leave. The woman said a group member had threatened her during a prior exchange. The argument continued as the woman and a group member disputed whether the group member had seen Lee beat the dog or had only heard it. The woman used profanity at several points.

An altercation with the deputy followed. The woman said the deputy had touched her and she had slapped his hand away. She was handcuffed and placed in a cruiser.

Chief Deputy James Zusack of the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office said a report would be available today. She did not appear to be on the jail roster as of deadline.

Larish commented on the confrontation.

“Clearly she believes what he tells her and not really what the evidence is showing, and that’s just typical behavior of somebody who was upset and mad because justice was served,” Larish said. “The aftermath was unexpected, but people react differently.”

Larish said the husky, who is about 1 year old, will remain as her dog, since the dog has bonded to her.

“She’s so emotionally attached to me that I don’t want to put her through another traumatic experience,” Larish said. “She lays her head on my heart, and that’s where it’s going to stay.”

Larish said the damage will be long lasting.

“She will not totally be recovered because a lot of the bones were not fixed when they were originally broken, so there’s some that will heal wrong,” Larish said.

She added she believed the sentence was appropriate.

“Either way, whether it be prison or the county jail and EOCC, he’s still getting a year of his time taken away for what he did to this dog. This dog will have to live with it forever, and I just hope he realizes that you cannot beat on a dog like this,” she said.

Larish added that her group is working on other cases, but none of this severity. Larish said the dog, who had been named “Ghost,” is now “Huskee.”

“Because she’s not ever going to be a ghost.”