Memphis man, Eric Harton, charged with posing as a veterinarian

TENNESSEE -- A man who gave shots to a dog brought to a Hickory Hill area veterinary office by an undercover officer has been charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty as well as possession of a controlled substance.

Eric Harton, 44, was charged on Thursday with two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, eight counts of cruelty to animals, impersonation of a licensed professional, two counts of possession of a controlled substance and a single count of possession of marijuana with intent to sell.

According to a police affidavit, detectives were alerted by a Memphis animal control officer who said Harton was giving animals rabies shots without a license.

An undercover officer went with a dog to the Pet Choice animal clinic at 6920 Winchester, where Harton administered a number of shots that included canine rabies, distemper and parvovirus.

After the treatments, Harton was questioned by police and claimed he was working under a vet.
However, when contacted, the real animal doctor told detectives that was not true and that he no longer worked at that Winchester clinic.

According to the affidavit, a search of the facility found dirty unorganized rooms, eight dogs that appeared to be malnourished and underweight, two dogs with broken paws, and two dead dogs in a freezer.

Law enforcement also confiscated drugs that are used to put animals to sleep, which is a controlled substance, and two large plastic bags that contained marijuana.

The 10 live animals were sent to the Memphis Animal Shelter and the dead animals were sent to a Mississippi facility for forensic testing.

(Memphis Commercial Appeal - Aug 21, 2015)