Ashleigh M. Tillson, 30, was released on conditions Thursday from Grand Isle Superior Court in North Hero. The restrictions include that she not possess or take care of any animals while the criminal case is pending and refrain from going on the property. She now lives elsewhere in town.
Grand Isle County State’s Attorney Doug DiSabito charged her with depriving animals that she owned or possessed from having adequate food, water and sanitation between Feb. 1 and Sept. 20.
Judge A. Gregory Rainville questioned whether there was a need for Tillson to undergo an outpatient competency and sanity evaluation. Public defender Rory O. Malone said he thought they were unnecessary at this time. He said his client had been checked leading up to the arraignment and if he sees any need he will alert the court.
Rainville said he was concerned that the more time that passes, the harder it becomes to establish what was the state of mind of a defendant at the point of the alleged offense.
In a court affidavit, Grand Isle County Deputy Sheriff Jason Essinger said one of the defendant’s friends indicated she thought Tillson was going to be admitted to the hospital for two weeks but was surprised when she was discharged after four days.
Sheriff Ray Allen was among the authorities to say the raid was the most disturbing animal cruelty case they have ever witnessed.
“In my 26 years of law enforcement I have never seen this type of animal cruelty and neglect. I was overwhelmed by what I saw and odor from inside the trailer,” Allen wrote. He said that when a member of the Humane Society of Chittenden County came into the trailer, “the look on her face (was) that of total shock.”
The abuse story was first reported by The Islander newspaper on its Facebook page in September. It soon spread to the rest of the media, including The New York Times and other major outlets across the country.
During the arraignment, DiSabito successfully argued to add a condition that Tillson not be allowed to keep any animal cages or crates. Malone questioned the need for the requirement but said Tillson was making plans to donate the cages. DiSabito said he was concerned that any animal enclosures from the residence go to proper authorities.
Rainville gave Tillson one week to dispose of the cages and crates. The judge also said he wanted an update in the court case in one month.
Tillson had lived in Winooski for two years before moving into the $700-a-month trailer in South Hero about nine months ago, court papers show. Eviction proceedings have started, court papers indicated and Malone confirmed in court.
Tillson did not address the court during her seven-minute hearing. She pulled up the hood of her jacket in an effort to block news photographers as Malone escorted her out to a car waiting in the courthouse driveway. Tillson was given a chance to comment, but Malone said she would have nothing to say.
When the sheriff’s department attempted to interview her five days after the search, Tillson declined and said she wanted to speak with her mental health worker, court papers show.
Court records show Tillson has been charged with driving while intoxicated twice. She was convicted of DUI in a February 2010 case and fined $300 after a Colchester police investigation, court records show. A DUI second offense charge was reduced to a negligent operation count for a January 2014 incident investigated by Williston police, records show. They indicate Tillson received a six- to 12-month suspended sentence, was placed on probation and fined $300.
The search
Court records suggest Tillson appeared more concerned about the media coverage than the welfare of the animals in her home. Tillson initially took care of animals, but suddenly in recent months had stopped talking about them, court records show.
Allen said that the day of the search, he reached Tillson by phone and explained why authorities were at the home.
Tillson “never inquired about the health or status of the animals and her only question was will the media know about this. I found that very concerning,” Allen said.
Five days later when she arrived at the sheriff’s office, Tillson was told authorities found only a small number of animals alive.
“She never inquired which animals were found alive or asked how they were doing. She said nothing about the other animals and the situation. She was concerned about the media learning about this and how the public would react,” Allen wrote. She said she wasn’t staying at the house because it was hot and the windows didn’t open.
Besides the 80 animals found dead during the search Sept. 21, an additional eight – four lizards, two rabbits, one hedgehog and one chinchilla — were discovered alive, Allen said. One rabbit died about a week later, Dr. Peggy Larson, a veterinarian, told The Islander.
“During the process, it became evident that the remains of the majority (of animals) were severely decomposed, many reduced to bones and fur,” Essinger wrote. He said the trailer had a morgue-like smell.
Larson, who also has a law degree and was a prosecutor, said she conducted autopsies on most of the dead animals. Most died from lack of nutrition, she said. Larson said not much was left but fur and bones in most cases. She said it was the worst incident among the 15 cruelty cases she has been asked to respond to since she came to Vermont seven years ago.
“Probably the worst thing I have to work on are the hoarding cases. Because you walk into these houses and they are filled with debris,” she said.
Larson said she has seen in hoarding cases that people fill their cages back up with animals. Larson said she had pushed to have the cages taken away from Tillson.
“Thank God the prosecutor was able to accomplish this,” Larson told reporters outside the courthouse. “These hoarding cases are absolutely horrendous.”
Included in the court paperwork was an elaborate 10-column chart listing all 88 animals and indicating various items, including in what room they were found, the species, sex, body condition, weight, level of decomposition and clinical notes.
The complaint was filed by one of the landlords, David Gardner, who went to the property to mow the lawn Sept. 20, Essinger said. Gardner spotted scores of flies on the inside of the trailer’s windows and a notice from the power company on the door that it had shut off electrical service, the deputy said.
Gardner said he entered the trailer and took pictures of dead animals. Gardner described it as “wall to wall cages.”
Marcie Nash, a friend of Tillson’s, said she was not allowed in the trailer and thought the defendant was exaggerating when she claimed she had 30 animals in her home.
Sheriff Allen said he was alerted by South Hero Animal Control Officer Everett Dubuque about 5 p.m. Sept. 20 about the dead animals. A plan was developed to bring in all needed resources in the morning, but no mention was made that any might be alive.
It was only as experts began combing through the cages that a few animals were found alive. A living hedgehog was in the same cage as another that was dead.
One rabbit was described as very thin, hungry and thirsty, with prominent bones and long nails.
Some carcasses were in the refrigerator and the freezer, but with no recent electrical power they had all thawed and begun to rot, said Dubuque, the longtime animal control officer and retired deputy sheriff.
Also at the search was South Hero Health Officer Anne Zolotas.
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