Lee Allen Miller, 52, initially was jailed on theft charges , accused of stealing his own dogs from a temporary shelter in Iowa Park where they were being held. He bonded out of jail on the theft charges, but now the man — who allegedly held at least 34 dogs in dirty, cramped conditions — is behind bars on animal cruelty charges.
Miller was arrested the second time after he attended a civil court hearing in Iowa Park Monday morning to determine whether he would be able to take his dogs back. Justice of the Peace Marc Newman issued an order that the dogs would stay at the animal reclaim center there.
At the hearing, Miller and an animal control official gave testimony, Newman said.
The order on custody of the dogs could be reversed if a county judge approves an appeal. Miller has 10 calendar days to file an appeal but will have to post a $2,950 "appeal bond" before doing so, the justice of the peace said.
Last week, Wichita County Sheriff David Duke said several witnesses saw Miller's vehicle parked around some large brush burn piles behind Midway ISD property in Clay County where Miller is employed.
Duke said an employee heard dogs whimpering and found the animals taken from the shelter. The employee took video of the dogs in cages — the sheriff's office was working last week to obtain the video.
Before the seizure, the dogs were being kept in metal buildings that had no ventilation or lights, officials said. They reportedly were housed in pet carriers — some of which contained several dogs — and were covered in feces and urine.
One official said feces were "literally pouring out of the cages."
A bond amount had not been set Monday afternoon regarding the animal cruelty charges against Miller.
(Times Record News - Oct 27, 2015)
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