Mother, Son Indicted on Animal Cruelty Charges

TENNESSEE -- A Frayser woman and her son have been indicted of animal cruelty after their eight dogs were found last year severely malnourished and without food, water or proper shelter, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

Chalene Collins, 47, is charged with five counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and her son, Commodore Collins, 23, is charged with three counts.
 
Their eight dogs included pit bulls and terriers ranging in age from eight months to three years.

Animal control officers said six of the dogs were so malnourished that their bones were visible, that two dogs had mutilated ears, that another was tied with a cable wire and others were tied with ropes.

At least one of the dogs was pregnant.

A puppy was removed from inside the home in the 3200 block of Madewell where the utilities had been turned off. There were fleas and large amounts of feces inside and there was no food or water, investigators said.

Collins and her son told officers they were living elsewhere since the utilities were turned off and that the dogs had not been fed in two weeks because they had no money for food.

The dogs were taken to the Memphis Animal Shelter where they were euthanized.

(Shelby County District Attorney - December 20, 2013)