Animal abuse cases cost a lot of money to investigate.....but each time a case is dismissed taxpayers also have to pay a penalty.
 |
| "Reggie" has come a long way in the past few months. Her name is short for Regina. She's a 10 year old Golden Retriever mix. She's deaf and still needs to gain a few pounds but overall she's in good health. |
When officers with Lee County Animal Services charged Moira Woods with animal cruelty, they thought they had a solid case. Photos show how her dog, Reggie, was emaciated and had a horrible skin condition....officers say it was due to long term neglect.
Laura Chavarria: "Hair loss, oral hematoma, just looked uncomfortable, extremely, extremely thin and its skin looked like elephant skin."
But when the case went to court, Judge Frank Mann Jr. dismissed the charges.
Laura Chavarria: "We feel like he's not fair and impartial which is what judges are supposed to be and what the judicial system is made for."
So Woods went free and the county had to pay a penalty for presenting a case that had been dismissed by the Judge.
Donna Woods: "Even though it's $10 to file the filing fee up front, if the case is dismissed it's even more costly because our agency's charged $40 per case."
And that alone adds up to 20-thousand a year. Animal services takes in thousands of dogs and cats each year and they also investigate animal cruelty cases.....something that costs lee county taxpayers millions each year.
 |
| Moira Woods |
Donna Woods: "Well, we have 15 animal control officers, 2 supervisors and a manager who just devote themselves solely to animal related complaints. That's about $1.5 million annually just for their salaries."
Mark Dahlberg works with a rescue group and was shocked when Judge Mann dismissed charges against Reggie's owner.
Mark Dahlberg: 'I've sent him a couple of letters, I've contacted his office and left messages."
Dahlberg spent his own money designing these magnets protesting Mann's decision. He hopes the judge realizes his rulings not only affect taxpayers but they also decide the fate of those who can't defend themselves.
Mark Dahlberg: "He's apparently just not an individual that is prepared to rule in favor of an animal that is obviously neglected and abused."
For the past 4 days we tried contacting Judge Mann for a comment but have not heard back from him.
(Fox4Now - Oct 18, 2012)
Story Background:
On June 27th, animal service officers say Moira Woods brought Reggie to their office saying "she needed to be put out of her misery."
These photos show how emaciated Reggie was, she also had a horrible skin condition and was itching constantly.
Instead of euthanizing Reggie, officers kept the dog and charged Woods with animal cruelty. The case went to court on August 14th in front of Lee County Judge Frank Mann Jr. The county called 3 witnesses to testify against Woods; their head vet who examined Reggie, the office manager who issued the citation to Woods and a rescue worker who helped find Reggie a new home. But they say they never got a chance to make their case.
Laura Chavarria: "While I was in mid sentence I was cut off by Judge Mann and he basically told me to get to the point, so I wasn't able to even show any pictures and when we offered to show them to him he didn't look at them."
Mike Mason: "Okay so he cuts you off mid sentence, then what happens?"
Laura Chavarria: "Then he goes to Miss Woods and says, “Do you have any proof that you provided care?” She provided a receipt, I think from a couple of months before we took the dog in, from Walmart for flea treatment and he said, ‘You seem like a responsible pet owner’."
Mike Mason: "That was it?"
Laura Chavarria: "That was it, he threw the case out."
Charges against Woods were then dismissed and the case closed. Rescue worker, Mark Dahlberg, was so upset he wrote a letter to Judge Mann stating: "Seldom have I seen as clear cut an example of long term neglect....pet owners, pet advocates, rescue groups and Humane Societies will not forget the additional neglect Reggie was dealt from your bench."
Officers with Lee County Animal Services say this isn't the first time Judge Mann has thrown out animal abuse charges and, as a result, they feel pets are becoming victimized all over again.
Laura Chavarria: "Every time he would say something, even in prior cases that I had that day, he would say, 'Well, I'm not used to doing animal cases, I don't like the way that this ordinance was written' and would throw them out. We need the support of the judicial system to be able to do our job, absolutely."
Mike Mason: "And did you get it?"
Laura Chavarria: "No."
Judge Mann won't be up for re-election until 2017, so for the next 5 years Dahlberg says he plans to continue educating the public about Mann's rulings.
