PHOTOS ADDED: Animal hoarder Carol Leach pleads guilty to four more animal cruelty charges

INDIANA -- Carol Leach, the Posey County woman charged with hoarding more than a hundred dogs in her cramped and sqaulid home in Griffin, Indiana, was convicted on four misdemeanor charges for animal cruelty, but the dog lovers that gathered in the Posey County courthouse looking for justice for the dogs left disappointed.

"No, I can't say justice has been served because there were so many dogs that died needlessly," Brenda Vanderver, the president of Posey County Pound Puppies, said.

The state was seeking four felony convictions for animal torture and mutilation, but this push fell short.

"It was a disheartening moment, but we kind of expected it," Tina Parker, the president of the Posey Humane Society, said.

The judge ruled while Leach had shown neglect in allowing her dog hoarding situation to become uncontrollable, with the dogs fighting each other for food and living in a swamp of their excrement, he said there was not enough evidence from the state to constitute an intent to torture or mutilate the dogs. He found Leach guilty of four class A misdemeanors for animal cruelty, down from the level 6 felonies the state had hoped.

"What really happened was attempting to put guilt on somebody by omitting to do something," defense attorney Jake Warrum said.

 

 

"I think this shows a deficiency in our laws concerning the neglect for animals," Posey County Prosecutor Travis Clowers said. "Basically these animals were neglected to the point of death. They were left in horrendous situations until the point that they died."

Dog lovers like Parker said they still remember the night of the rescue and still see the scars Leach's home left on the dogs.

"When I see Chance with all the scars all over his face and the fact he cowers and he's timid when people he doesn't know come around, it's a sad situation," she said.

How do you sleep at night Jake Warrum? Do you feel good about
yourself for taking this woman's money and trying to convince
a judge that these animals didn't suffer? You are an odious man.

"It was the most horrendous conditions they had ever seen in their life," Vanderver said. "No one is ever going to forget this."

And while they are not satisfied with the ruling, people like Parker say it opens up a conversation about Indiana's laws concerning animals.

 

"We are one of the few states in the United States that actually does not have animal cruelty and neglect as a felony," she said.

"There needs to be more action taken in cases like this just to show people it's not acceptable," Vanderver said. "It's not right and it won't be ignored."

Carol Leach has a disease. It's called animal hoarding. She will
abuse animals again. Guaranteed.

Leach previously pled guilty to 60 counts of animal cruelty and one count of harboring a non-immunized dog, all misdemeanors. Her sentencing hearing is set for Dec. 10 at 9 a.m.

Leach can face up to 65 years in jail, and Parker and others are asking her to not be allowed to own another animal ever again.

"I'm hopeful that it's sending a message that animal cruelty and neglect is not going to be tolerated in Posey County," Parker said.

(Tri State Homepage - Nov 18, 2015)