Afraid of Horses, Mobile Woman Nearly Balks Before Pleading Guilty in Dog River Bridge Puppy Case

MOBILE, Ala. — A 74-year-old Mobile woman accused of directing her teenage son to throw two dogs off the Dog River Bridge pleaded guilty to animal cruelty Monday, but only after briefly balking at a plea deal because it required her to work around horses. Mary Jane Rivers pleaded guilty to cruelty to a dog or cat in Mobile County Circuit Court on Oct. 5, nearly two years after the December 2024 incident that ended with police officers swimming out to rescue the animals.

Mobile County Circuit Judge Michael Windom imposed a seven-year prison sentence, suspended in favor of three years of formal probation. Rivers must also complete 200 hours of community service by cleaning stalls at the Mobile County Sheriff’s Mounted Unit, take anger management classes and complete the Inside Out Program.

Dog River Bridge case: what prosecutors alleged

Prosecutors alleged that in December 2024, Rivers directed her teenage son to drop two dogs from the Dog River Bridge, which carries Dauphin Island Parkway over Dog River in south Mobile. According to investigators, Rivers was upset because the dogs had been eating her chickens.

Rivers was arrested on Jan. 1, 2025. According to the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office, she and an 18-year-old co-defendant were originally charged with two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals. Under Monday’s plea agreement, Rivers pleaded guilty to the charge of cruelty to a dog or cat.

Windom granted a youthful offender application for Rivers’ son, which seals his court records. In Alabama, youthful offender status is available to people who were under 21 at the time of the alleged offense; it keeps the case records confidential and the outcome is not treated as a criminal conviction.

Officers in the water by chance

The dogs survived because of timing. Mobile police officers happened to be nearby, conducting a joint training exercise with other agencies, when the dogs went into the water.

“Just happened to see it happen and were able to swim out and rescue the dogs,” Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said. “Otherwise, they’d have drowned.”

The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, and Burch personally attended Monday’s hearing.

A plea deal nearly derailed by a fear of horses

Mobile County prosecutors had offered to recommend a sentence including 200 hours of community service if Rivers pleaded guilty to animal cruelty. Defense attorney John White told the court that Rivers was willing to perform the service. The sticking point was where.

The original arrangement called for Rivers to do the work at the Mobile Police Department’s horse barn. Rivers objected, saying she is petrified of horses.

“I don’t hate horses. I’m afraid of them.” — Mary Jane Rivers, speaking to Judge Michael Windom

During the hearing, White asked Windom to consider his client’s fear of horses along with the fact that she takes heart medication twice a day. White declined to discuss the case outside the courtroom.

Rivers eventually accepted the deal with the understanding that her community service would be performed cleaning stalls at the Mobile County Sheriff’s Mounted Unit rather than at the police department’s barn.

Sheriff: ‘a very generous offer’

Before Rivers changed her mind and accepted the agreement, Burch described the state’s offer as lenient and said it took her circumstances into account.

“The state made a very generous offer, and you know, through negotiations, given account to her age and lack of criminal history,” Burch said. “You know, she gets here this morning, decides she don’t like part of the offer saying she’s afraid of horses, which is part of the community service.”

Burch also rejected the idea that Rivers’ health should weigh in her favor.

“Well, my opinion: Somebody who would take and participate in throwing two puppies off a bridge don’t have a heart. So, you know that’s – that’s not an excuse.” — Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch

How the plea agreement worked

Most criminal cases in Alabama, as elsewhere, are resolved through plea agreements rather than trials. In a typical agreement, the defendant pleads guilty, often to a reduced or different charge, and prosecutors in return recommend a particular sentence to the judge. The judge decides whether to accept the plea and imposes the sentence.

In Rivers’ case, the state’s recommendation centered on community service, and the final terms adjusted only where that service would take place. The original charges of aggravated cruelty to animals were resolved by her guilty plea to cruelty to a dog or cat.

Community corrections programs, like the one Rivers will report to, supervise people who are sentenced to serve their time in the community instead of in jail or prison. Supervision typically includes check-ins and verification that court-ordered conditions, such as classes and service hours, are completed.

The sentence, explained

Rivers’ sentence has several parts, each with its own requirements:

• Seven-year suspended prison sentence: The judge set a prison term of seven years but suspended it. A suspended sentence generally means the defendant does not serve the prison time as long as the conditions set by the court are met. A violation of those conditions can lead a judge to revoke probation and order some or all of the suspended time served.
• Three years of formal probation: Rivers will be supervised through Mobile County Community Corrections for three years.
• 200 hours of community service: She must clean stalls at the Mobile County Sheriff’s Mounted Unit.
• Anger management classes: Required as a condition of probation.
• Inside Out Program: Rivers must complete the program as part of her probation.

Key dates

• December 2024: Two dogs are thrown from the Dog River Bridge; Mobile police officers training nearby swim out and rescue them.
• Jan. 1, 2025: Rivers is arrested. She and an 18-year-old co-defendant are charged with two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals.
• Monday, Oct. 5, 2026: Rivers pleads guilty to cruelty to a dog or cat and is sentenced; her son is granted youthful offender status.

What we know and what we don’t

The Mobile County District Attorney’s Office has confirmed Rivers’ plea and the terms of her sentence. Because the son’s case is now sealed under youthful offender status, details about how his case was resolved are not public.

Accounts of Monday’s hearing did not include an update on the two dogs’ condition or where they were placed after the rescue. It has also not been announced when Rivers is expected to begin her community service at the Sheriff’s Mounted Unit.

What happens next

Rivers will now begin her three-year term of probation under Mobile County Community Corrections. During that time she must complete her community service hours, anger management classes and the Inside Out Program. If she meets the conditions of probation, she will not serve the suspended seven-year prison sentence; if she does not, prosecutors can ask the court to revoke her probation.

Monday’s plea resolves the criminal case against Rivers in circuit court, subject to her compliance with the terms of her sentence.