Oklahoma: Chris White, 57, and Clare White, 55, arrested for animal cruelty; 5 children turned over to DHS

OKLAHOMA --Five children were placed with the Department of Human Services after Delaware County Sheriff’s deputies arrested their parents Friday evening on 38 complaints of animal cruelty and neglect, Sheriff Harlan Moore said on Saturday.

Chris, 57, and Clare White, 55, of Jay are being held in the Delaware County jail without bail, the sheriff’s office confirmed.

 

“Oklahoma law requires pet owners to provide food, water, shelter, or veterinary care to prevent suffering — and failure to do so is a felony,” Moore said.

Deputies removed 40 dogs, puppies and cats from the rural Jay residence and released the animals to the Oklahoma Alliance for Animals, Moore said.

Also removed from the home were 300 chickens, he said.

According to an arrest affidavit, some of the dogs had “lesions or open sores and or boils,” and “mange” and the dogs “did not appear to have been treated and appeared malnourished.”

 

An onsite veterinary triage was set up to care for the animals, but four dogs had to be euthanized at the scene, Moore said.

 

Chris White told sheriff’s deputies he spent $90 a day on homemade dog food which is made from peas and brisket, the affidavit states.

He also told the sheriff’s deputies he and his wife were unemployed and couldn’t afford to take the animals to a veterinarian and he also doesn’t believe in modern medicine but instead relies on "God to provide healing for all medical conditions", the affidavit states.

“Help is available for pet owners in need,” said Jamee Suarez, president of the Oklahoma Alliance for Animals. “Most communities have animal shelters or rescues that can provide assistance. Help is also available through the Oklahoma Alliance for Animals.”

The problem with this statement is that these people did NOT want "help". 

Delaware County Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Bus said Chris White holds dual citizenship between the United States and New Zealand. She said the citizenship status of Clare White and the children remain undetermined and under investigation.

Sheriff’s deputies also found “deplorable living condition; feces, urine” and two beds where children had been living. A 12–foot by 8-foot storage building had been turned into living quarters that contained two twin mattresses and “a whole cut into the side for animal entry,” the affidavit states.

The residence had an odor of both animal feces and human waste, the affidavit states. The residence was cluttered and had created a hazardous environment for the animals.

Bush described the scene as “animals everywhere”. She said the property contained a home, as well as outbuildings, and authorities were working to determine who was living in which building.


Bush said initial investigations indicate the three minor students were homeschooled and not enrolled within a local school system.

The couple are due back in court on Aug. 1, court records show.

  

 

(Tulsa World - July 16, 2016)