Donna Arthur’s conviction for animal neglect has resurfaced as her estranged daughter, Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, faces a brutal campaign attack.
Arthur, Acton’s mother, was found guilty after four five-day-old kittens were discovered locked inside her “filthy” vehicle in Pennsylvania in 2021, according to court records. A humane society police officer recorded an interior temperature of 120 degrees and described feeling a “wave of heat release” when he opened the door, the documents state.
One kitten later died from heat exhaustion, a worker at local nonprofit Happy Valley Animals in Need testified in court. The founder of Hope’s Dream Rescue and Sanctuary also told the court that another kitten in the litter had already died under Arthur’s watch and that the mother cat had previously escaped.
Arthur disputed that the car was dangerously hot and accused the responding officer of shouting at her and being rude. She also claimed she was being stalked.
The animal neglect case took a procedural turn when Arthur appealed, arguing she had been denied counsel. The appellate court vacated the conviction and sentence due to that procedural error and sent the case back to a trial court for further proceedings. The ruling did not overturn the conviction on the merits, and the judge’s opinion detailed Arthur’s admission that she was living in her vehicle with her cats.
The decades-old estrangement between mother and daughter became campaign ammunition this week when Republican rival Vivek Ramaswamy released an ad featuring Arthur calling Acton a “liar” and urging Ohioans not to vote for her.
Acton, who has spoken publicly about her troubled childhood long before entering politics, has said her mother lost custody of her when she was 12 years old because of neglect and child abuse. Her stepfather, Cledith Arthur, also allegedly sexually abused her for years. The Arthurs have not spoken to Acton since losing custody of her.
The ad has sparked a political firestorm, with voices from both parties condemning the campaign’s decision to feature Acton’s estranged mother.
President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, however, defended Ramaswamy when asked about it.
“It’s a very unusual situation to have a mother hate her daughter that much,” Trump said. He added that he “doesn’t have a lot of respect for the daughter” and thinks “the mother is a witness to things also.”
The National Review and Politifact, among other outlets, have examined legal records supporting Acton’s account of her childhood. Other reporting has uncovered court records detailing the Arthurs’ criminal history.
Donna and Cledith Arthur were both convicted of felony theft by deception in Pennsylvania in 1996, according to state court records. Donna Arthur also had a prior conviction for the same offense in 1995.
Ramaswamy’s campaign has continued to defend the controversial ad, doubling down on its attacks and repeatedly describing Acton as a “serial fabulist.” The Republican campaign has spent at least $4 million airing the spot on television across Ohio.
