Linda Luker, 56, was charged with cruelty to non-livestock animals stemming from a May 18 seizure by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Upshur County Constable Gene Dolle said Wednesday. Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace Lyle Potter set her bond at $3,500.
“The SPCA vets had to evaluate the animals and get all of the information to us before any decisions or arrests could be made,” Dolle said of the delay in arresting Luker.
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| Linda Luker |
Luker was arrested at about 4 p.m. Tuesday after Dolle and members of the Gladewater Police Department and Upshur County Sheriff’s Office executed a warrant signed by District Attorney Billy Byrd.
During the May animal seizure, the SPCA of Texas officials took 64 dogs, six cats and a horse from a makeshift animal shelter organized by Luker and Carol Pinckert in the 1600 block of North Main Street in rural Gladewater.
Dolle said the animals were living in a poor environment.
“The conditions were unsanitary, and the animals had very little room to run,” he said. “Many were in cages and had no real shelter from the elements.”
Gladewater Police Chief Robert Vine said Monday the department received a phone call Saturday from a resident who said Luker was going into neighborhoods in Gladewater and asking for pet donations for her animal shelter.
The resident who called about Luker, Vine said, told police that notes were being placed on vehicles, and the woman was trying to let dogs out of yards.
“This is an individual that we’ve had issues with in the past as far as hoarding animals,” Vine said. “They are trying to restock for whatever reason.”
After the May animal seizure, Upshur County Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace W.V. Ray ordered Pinckert and Luker to pay $20,000 in fines.
The women appealed the decision June 2, but Upshur County Judge Dean Fowler upheld Ray’s decision.
(News Journal - August 7, 2014)
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