Grant County Sheriff Scott Sterling said the man charged with 13 counts of animal cruelty turned himself in Friday.
An arrest warrant was issued for George Wesley Gilchrist Jr. on Aug. 4 but he could not be found.
Sterling said Gilchrist's family owns property out of state and it was suspected he was there.
Gilchrist turned himself in with the presence of an attorney. Case documents lists his attorney as Michael Amend, of Ponca City.
"He did have his initial appearance before the judge and posted $65,000 bond," Sterling said. "He's been arraigned on 13 counts of animal cruelty."
Sterling said since Gilchrist posted bond, the department booked him and then released him.
Gilchrist is entering a plea of not guilty and has since moved to Cherokee.
Gilchrist's next court appearance is Sept. 15.
The felony charges against Gilchrist include malicious or willfully depriving a non-responsive hound mix, four young greyhounds, two brindle greyhounds, two Irish wolfhounds and three other hounds of food, drink, shelter and medical care, records show.
The charges are a result of one of three animal cruelty cases involving Gilchrist that took place between mid-July and early-August.
Sterling said his office is investigating three different animal cruelty cases involving Gilchrist and another individual.
Sterling said his department received an initial report July 19, and Deputy Sheriff Jessie Hern requested a search warrant. On July 20, 13 dogs were rescued from one property, Sterling said.
The property is located southwest from the intersection of Logan Road and County Road 900 in Grant County, according to the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, the heat index was 100 degrees, and 14 dogs were examined by a local vet. One of the animals died due to its injuries and seizure activity. Many were dehydrated, stuck on chains, had eyes sunken-in, parasites and ribs readily visible, according to the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, one of the dogs had a carcass in his pen that he had been eating. There was no other food or water present.
The affidavit describes dog 14.
"Decomposing, rancid, deceased greyhound in a small pen with sheep panels," it stated. "Maggots present. Cause of death could not be determined to decomposition."
The report claims Gilchrist called his father and told him about the search warrants.
“Because they’re f*****g starving, I told you this was going to happen,” Gilchrist is quoted as saying in the report. Officers allege that he also told his father that he wasn’t going to prison for this.
According to the affidavit, Gilchrist asked if "some kind of deal could be made that everyone came out on," and the deputy said the district attorney was in charge of deals and punishments. Gilchrist signed the dogs over to Tulsa Humane Society.
Tulsa Humane Society representative Katherine Brown said a majority of the dogs have since been adopted.
"We have seven left," Brown said. "Most are hound mixes. We also have three puppies. One of the puppies has parvo. He's been fighting for his life but is starting to turn it around."
Parvo, also known as canine parvovirus, is a highly contagious and life-threatening disease until fully treated. The disease attacks a dog's intestinal track and white blood cells.
"They're all very happy dogs," Brown said. "They're all recovering well, walking and happy."
One of the dogs, a greyhound called "Big Tex," could not walk when the humane society rescued him. Since then, he was adopted, is healthy and now called "Angus."
Tulsa Humane Society is taking donations, both monetary and products, in regard to the rescues. If interested in adopting or donating, call the society at (918) 495-3647 or go to Facebook, Humane Society of Tulsa.
After the society rescued the animals from Gilchrist's property a third search warrant was issued Aug. 1 at the same location as the July 21 search warrant.
"At that time, two more dogs were rescued pursuant to the search warrant," Sterling said.
Sterling said events from July 21 and Aug. 1 still are being investigated.
Gilchrist was involved in a case in 2013 involving cruelty to animals. The case was dismissed. Later in 2013, he was involved in a case stating he failed to keep domestic animals enclosed. That case also was dismissed.
A lot of times when news reports say a charge was dismissed, it's because the suspect took a plea deal and the DA's office do what's called a "pass", meaning don't get any new charges while you're on probation and the charge gets dismissed afterwards. It does NOT mean the case was thrown out for lack of evidence, etc.
But one day before the July 21 search warrant was issued, a charge was filed in Grant County involving Gilchrist and failure to keep domestic animals enclosed. Another case for the same offense was filed July 27.
"There's no state law that prohibits someone, once they 're convicted, there is no law that prohibits them from owning animals again," Sterling said. "This may be an issue we need to look at, maybe devise a registry for cruelty to animals."
(Enid News & Eagle - Aug 14, 2015)
Note: Apparently the apple doesn't fall far from the (rotten) tree. Gilchrist's father was convicted of Cruelty to Animals back in 2008 (Thanks to Examiner.com for this info!):
Animal cruelty defendant sentenced to prison
A Grant County man who pleaded guilty to seven counts of animal cruelty has been sentenced to prison for allowing horses on his property to starve.
George Gilchrist, 44, pleaded guilty to the charges in June and was sentenced before a Grant County judge today. Judge Jack Hammontree sentenced Gilchrist to a five-year prison term. Gilchrist will serve two years behind bars and will be on probation for three years, according to the judge's sentence.
Gilchrist had been given a deferred sentence on a bogus check charge. The judge requested that Gilchrist be sentenced to a year in a county jail on that charge. His sentence will run concurrently with the sentence for the animal cruelty charges.
Prosecutors say Gilchrist had about 34 horses on his land. In late 2006, the sheriff seized seven horses that appeared to be starving, said Steven Young, assistant district attorney in Grant County. Three of the horses either died or had to be put down. Homes were found for the other four horses.
Earlier:
Who ever wrote this has never once experienced a real struggle in their life. Check your facts and learn the definition of circumstance.
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