A judge’s restraining order, issued Friday, aims to ensure that Clopton won’t have another chance to hoard dogs or other pets at her home until her trial.
District Judge Mary Marlowe said Clopton, 49, must stay at least 25 yards from dogs and prohibited her from having any animal in her possession that could be considered a pet while she awaits trial on the 52-count indictment.
“Don’t go up petting the dog,” Marlowe told Clopton, who pleaded not guilty to 48 counts of animal cruelty — one charge for each of the 48 dogs recovered from her home — as well as three felony charges of possession of dangerous drugs and a single charge of practicing veterinary medicine without a license. The drug charges are related to veterinary medications found at the home.
Clopton had worked for more than 20 years as a veterinarian in the Albuquerque area before losing her license. She reportedly was treating animals without renewing her veterinary license, leading the New Mexico Board of Veterinary Medicine to permanently revoke the license.
She was arrested in April after her Edgewood neighbors complained to Santa Fe County animal control officers about constant barking at her house. Someone also reported that one dog at her home had been killed by another dog. Authorities who investigated the complaint reported that the dogs were living in squalid conditions.
A prosecutor asked the judge to set a bond for Clopton because he was concerned she was a flight risk — she had failed to appear for a scheduled court hearing in September. The prosecutor also recommended that Clopton participate in an animal cruelty prevention program, obtain psychological counseling and allow officers to randomly visit her house to ensure she isn’t keeping any pets.
But the release conditions set by the judge only require that Clopton stay away from animals.
Public defender Megan Dorsey said police have entered the defendant’s property without a proper warrant and that she has felt unsafe at her Edgewood home. Clopton remains free on a $10,000 bond that was posted in early November.
Clopton’s dogs were taken to the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society, where some were euthanized for medical reasons and most were adopted to new owners. Some of the dogs were pregnant and had litters of puppies at the shelter.
After her arrest, Clopton tried to regain custody of 10 dogs — the maximum number of dogs allowed in one household in Santa Fe County — by paying fees to the shelter. After she failed to pay the fees, however, she forfeited the dogs.
Her next court appearance is scheduled is a pre-trial conference March 14, according to online records.
(Santa Fe New Mexican - Dec 7, 2013)
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