PA's Amish Must Be Animal Lovers

Ulysses Zimmerman, 22, of Point Marion [in Western Pennsylvania], pleaded guilty to animal cruelty for allegedly neglecting his dog, denying it veterinary care and strangling the animal.

But Zimmerman didn't pay a fine or spend time in jail. Instead, he stood at a busy intersection in South Union Township Thursday, wearing a sign that read, "I Plead Guilty ... Animal Cruelty is a Crime ... My Dog's Name WAS Salt and Pepper."

Zimmerman was supposed to stand at the intersection for eight hours, but Robin Moore, the Fayette County Humane officer who devised the sentence, allowed Zimmerman to leave early because of all the abuse passing motorists hurled at him.

Link.

The story is a little odd. Since when do law enforcement officers get to establish the penalty/sentence and commute it?