Kentucky: With her two young children in the house, Lisa Branson took meth and then passed out, leaving her dog locked in a hot car for hours

KENTUCKY -- A woman in Knox County is facing multiple charges after deputies say she left her dog locked in a car for several hours while she was passed out on a couch.

Deputies responded to a call late Sunday night about a dog locked inside a car at a home on Payne Hollow Road.

When deputies arrived at the home, they say they found the dog locked inside a car outside and Lisa M. Branson, 34, of Barbourville, inside the home passed out on the couch.

Two children, ages four and ten, were also at the home.

When the deputies woke Branson up, they say she seemed disoriented and told then she had taken meth and suboxone.

According to the deputies, Branson told them she had been passed out on the couch since 7 p.m., and the dog had been locked in the car for several hours without food, water or a place to use the restroom.

Deputies also learned Branson’s mother had temporary custody of the two children in the home, and Branson did not have permission to have them at her house with her.

Branson was arrested and charged with animal cruelty and two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor.

Lisa and Gary need to get clean. If not for their sake, for the sake of these two poor kids. 

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Stolen property recovered from Payne Hollow residence
The Mountain Advocate - July 21, 2017

Knox County Sheriff’s Deputy Claude Hudson recovered what he says is a multitude of stolen items from a home on Payne Hollow Road Friday.

The case began with a report Deputy Hudson took from a Hinkle Branch residence on July 6, 2017, reporting a cast iron cooking stove had been stolen from outside the home, but one leg of the stove was left by the perpetrators. Deputy Hudson retrieved the fourth stove leg as evidence to aide in searching for the stolen stove.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing a green Chevy S-10 pickup with a fiberglass top “loading stuff up,” Deputy Hudson said.

When serving an Emergency Protection Order on Gary Branson of Payne Hollow Road Friday morning, July 21, 2017, Deputy Hudson noticed a cast iron stove outside Branson’s home that matched the description of the stove he was looking for.

After pairing the fourth leg with the stove, Deputy Hudson likened the match to “Cinderella’s slipper” as he determined the stove was indeed the stolen item from Hinkle Branch. Also in Branson’s driveway was a green Chevy S-10 pickup with a fiberglass top. Branson was not home at the time.

Branson’s wife, Lisa M. Branson, who was home, was arrested and charged with Criminal Mischief 1st degree and Burglary 2nd degree. Lisa M. Branson has a history of theft charges including shoplifting and cold check writing dating back to 2011.

The Chevy S-10 pickup was confiscated as evidence because it had been used in the commission of a crime.

After executing a search warrant at the Payne Hollow Road residence, deputies identified and recovered more stolen property items that were taken in the burglary.

The investigation continues by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.

The whereabouts of Gary Branson are unknown. Anyone with information regarding his location should contact the Knox County Sheriff’s Office at 546-3181.

Update: 
On Tuesday, July 25, Knox County Deputy Claude Hudson arrested Gary W. Branson, 37, of Bimble, on charges of burglary and criminal mischief.

The charges were the result of an investigation into a burglary at a residence on Hinkle Branch Road in Flat Lick on July 1, 2017. Gary Branson’s wife, Lisa Branson, 33, had been arrested on July 21 after an antique cast iron stove from the burglary was observed in their front yard.

A vehicle driven by Gary Branson was stopped at the intersection of US 25E and KY 1304 in Bimble. He initially gave Deputy Mullins a fictitious name to avoid arrest. He was lodged in the Knox County Detention Center.

(WYMT - Oct 23, 2017)