The pair’s neighbor, Russell Parker, called the police in early September and the Clay County sheriff’s office has now arrested Potts. He is charged with a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty because the animal lived. Arielle is back in McCarthy’s care, according to Parker.
Dr. Christian Broadhurst, the veterinarian examined Arielle in September, found she had two broken ribs that were healing. Parker said he and another neighbor observed the abuse and said Potts had even bragged about it. Police said the abuse took place at an apartment complex in the 2100 block of Spencer Road in Orange Park.
"I heard the whining several nights straight and called the cops several times. He bragged about how long he beat her with a laptop cord, one you charge the laptop with. I also saw him drag her. He grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and dragged her – she wasn’t on her feet, and I also saw him tie her up with an extension cord with food and water out of reach. After a while, I saw that she was still out there, so I went out and cut the cord from around her neck and brought her into my apartment," Parker said.
Arielle was so visibly thin, it was easy to tell she wasn’t being fed properly and when McCarthy returned, he was furious. According to the police report, Parker also said he had seen Potts hit Arielle upside her head, neck and shoulder area with his fists. When he brought Arielle into his apartment from the back porch, she was tied up with the extension cord so tight she could barely breathe. The report states that Parker kept Arielle until McCarthy returned.
The abuse Arielle suffered places her among other animals who have been abused in Clay County in the last two years.
Last month, an 12-year-old Middleburg boy was accused of killing and beheading a dog and this past summer two teenage girls burned a tortoise alive and stomped on it.
Last year, eight horses were found neglected and there was a 2012 case involving two dogs abandoned, malnourished and suffering severe blood-loss from fleas. One dog was dead and the other was near death when they were discovered. The trend fits into a larger social problem that also contributes to child and elder abuse.
Nathan Rousseau, Ph.D., is an associate professor of sociology at Jacksonville University. He explains that a person’s own perceptions about how much control one has over his or her own well-being is re- ferred to as a "locus of control" in the fields of psychology and sociology. There are two types of locus of control – inner and outer.
"Doing the right thing simply because it’s the right thing to do is an internal locus of control but most people in our culture aren’t driven that way. When a person is motivated by the attention they get, the approval they receive from others or the results of their actions – that’s an external locus of control. It is outside of yourself and an external locus of control is a helpless position to be in," Rousseau said.
"A person with an internal locus of control looks at an issue and is motivated to act regardless of whether those actions have the desired results or not. A person with an external locus of control looks at an issue and either acts or doesn’t act based on their perception of whether they will get the external reward they desire or not."
Rousseau says an external locus of control creates a feeling of powerlessness that is often found beneath the surface when people lash out. Therefore, animals, children, the elderly, those with special needs and others are seen as easy prey by those who are desperate to feel empowered.
"We create our own hell on earth by always wanting satisfaction from externals because externals can’t deliver on their promises – this leads to all kinds of human misery. When more people get sucked into an external locus of control, we end up with a greater number of people who are dependent on externals and a greater amount of discontent in society. This puts vulnerable populations at risk and ‘vulnerable populations’ can be animals, it can be the elderly, it can be children, or minorities – it can be any group that is seen as an easy target," Rousseau said.
He said another component of the broader social ill is that an external locus of control feeds into commodification – treating everything in one’s life as a product. Rousseau said this means a person doesn’t simply think a new house, car or fine jewelry will make one happy, but one thinks the same way toward a romantic relationship, having a baby or getting a puppy. Commodification locks a person into an external locus of control and the misery it causes. Another component to consider is the low value some place on animals to begin with.
"Animals have always been regarded as second or third level citizens and they often have a low value for us. We’ve had years and years of growing desensitization and people feel helpless to do anything about it. If everyone says ‘well, I’ll do something if my neighbor does something’ and the neighbor doesn’t do anything, then nobody takes action. So, if everyone thinks that way, it’s a recipe for disaster and a real loss of human potential," he said. "Having an external locus of control is a real problem because when a person feels powerless, he or she will do what they can to feel empowered.
The guy who beats a dog feels powerless over whatever is going on in his life and he takes it out on the dog in order to feel empowered. Animals have always bore the brunt of human misery and our squandered human potential."
Rousseau says in order to turn the tide of animal abuse in Clay County, those with an external locus of control have to make an internal change.
"If you think something external to your inner person will change your life, it won’t because change only occurs when you change you. The only way for you to change you is to shift from an external locus of control to an internal locus of control," he said.
Meanwhile, at press time, Potts remained in the Clay County Jail on the animal cruelty charge. His bond is set at $5,002.
(Clay Today - November 27, 2014)
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