Massachusetts: Woman stops to let turtle cross road. POS behind her gets mad and purposely runs over the turtle, killing it

MASSACHUSETTS -- Although this appears to have originally been posted back in June 2014, it is still making the rounds on Facebook and has been shared nearly 60,000 times already by outraged animal lovers.

"I slowed down and let a giant snapping turtle cross the street in rehoboth. This HORRIBLE human being got pissed that I did this and DELIBERATELY ran it over and then beeped at me! Massachusetts plate 5JKA 10 everyone please share. Maybe this guy will get the message."

California: There's no coming back from being the type of guy who gets off on burning animals alive

CALIFORNIA -- After several months of investigation, the Paso Robles Police Department arrested a suspect in the case of animal cruelty toward an FFA steer at Paso Robles High School in October, police reported today.

Paso Robles police detectives interviewed several witnesses and individuals associated with the incident, and also collected several items of evidence that assisted with the overall case.

The findings were forwarded to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office, who formally filed felony animal cruelty charges and issued a warrant for that subject’s arrest. The warrant was issued on May 23, 2014 for one count of 597(a)PC – Animal Cruelty, a felony. 

On Friday at about 7 p.m., police officers contacted suspect Garrett Evan Kaplan, 23, in the 1100 block of Dorothy St. and placed him under arrest for the outstanding felony warrant without incident.

Kaplan was later transported to San Luis Obispo County Jail and booked into custody on the warrant.

On Oct. 26, 2013 at about 8:05 a.m. the Paso Robles Police Department received a report of animal cruelty at the agriculture barn at the Paso Robles High School. The reporting party stated his juvenile son is a student at the high school and member of the National FFA Organization, according to a police report. As part of this program, his son housed his 5-month old steer at the agriculture barn.

The reporting party went to the barn to feed the animal and found that it had been burned, the report said. The animal suffered significant burn injuries but is expected to survive.

Garrett Evan Kaplan

Garrett Evan Kaplan

It appeared that the suspect entered the barn sometime between 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25 and 8 a.m. the next day and set fire to the animal for unknown reasons, the report said.

Officers located evidence at the scene which is being analyzed as part of this investigation. Personnel from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office Rural Crimes Unit and San Luis Obispo County Division of Animal Services, along with staff from the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District, assisted with the investigation.

As of Monday afternoon, he remained in County Jail in lieu of $27,500 bail.

(Paso Robles Daily News - June 2, 2014)

East Haven dog's fate in the hands of a judge

CONNECTICUT -- A dog ownership dilemma was in the hands of a judge in East Haven on Monday.

The town wanted to take custody of Pagan Moon, an English mastiff, after eyewitnesses reported seeing a man beat the animal in public. However, the man said the dog was not his to take.

 

Pagon was at the East Haven Animal Shelter, awaiting the judge's decision.

"It's not my dog, and never was," said Herman Martinez. "It's her dog they're trying to say it's mine."

Martinez, of East Haven, claimed Pagan belonged to his girlfriend, Maria Saunders. She said she wanted the dog back.

"That's my baby, and I just want the opportunity to do what I want to do for him," Saunders said.

However, East Haven animal control officers said that doesn't matter. They said they were trying to take Pagan away because they said it was in the dog's best interest.

Eyewitnesses described seeing Martinez beat Pagan outside of a Rite Aid store in East Haven.

"Every time he was getting aggressive with that dog, that dog was lifting up his paw," said Marguerite Muzzo, one of the eyewitnesses. "So I didn't see anything vicious about that dog. I think in canine language that he was begging him to stop."

Martinez said he was disciplining the dog.

"I was trying to calm him down," he said. "A dog trainer says don't let the dog dominate you."

Officials also said they were concerned about Pagan's well-being. They want to find another home for him.

That's a thought that was not sitting well with Saunders.

"I just want my dog back," she said.

It will be up to the judge to decide where Pagan ends up.

(WFSB - June 2, 2014)

Ohio kitten killer Barry Accorti continues to shoot and kill animals... with Police Chief Michael Freeman's blessing

OHIO --A day shy of the anniversary of the shooting of five kittens by a city humane officer, a Root Road man claimed a baby raccoon was shot dead Monday in front of three children, one of whom was his son.

“This isn’t the Wild West, you don’t just pull out guns and shoot them, especially not in front of kids,” Tim Sherrill said about an hour after one of the city’s animal control officers shot and killed a young raccoon on his neighbor’s property.

 

Sherrill, who was at work, said two other boys, also believed to be 10 years old, reportedly witnessed the shooting along with his son, Jordan.

The children were playing on the neighbor’s property with that man’s grandson, when the shooting occurred Monday, according to Sherrill.

“I own a gun myself,” Sherrill said. “I can understand this up to a point … that they have to put animals down, but you don’t do it in front of kids. I’m an adult, and I don’t want to see it.”

Police Chief Michael Freeman offered a different version of events, maintaining the raccoon was not shot near any children or dwellings by Humane Officer Barry Accorti, who estimated he shot the animal at least 70 yards from any house.

Freeman said Accorti shot the animal after determining there were no children present.

Accorti, the same humane officer involved in the kitten incident in 2013, followed the law, according to Freeman.

“The property owner set a trap (which was requested from the city) and called us when he had something in the trap,” Freeman said. “He gave us permission to take care of the animal on his property.”

“Because a neighbor disagrees with it doesn’t make it wrong,” Freeman said of the incident.

Accorti believes using animals for target practice is
'euthanasia' - and so does the police chief

Freeman said the animal was shot with .22-caliber ammunition that was fired toward the ground.

“This is a highly-trained individual who can make deductions as to whether this can be done safely or not,” Freeman said. “He is a certified officer. Not somebody we just hire off the street, give them a gun, and tell them to go to it.”

Did you know that BTK Killer DENNIS RADER was also
an Animal Control officer? He must be very proud of
BARRY ACCORTI.

Under Ohio Department of Natural Resources regulations, animals can be caught and then released or destroyed by a property owner, or permission can be given by a property owner to have an animal destroyed by another party, such as a humane officer.

Accorti became a humane officer in 2012 after retiring as a North Ridgeville police officer with 31 years’ service as a patrolman, detective, SWAT team commander and lieutenant. Over the years he received many commendations.

Problems at home for Mike:
Police Chief Mike Freeman's wife busted for shoplifting

An adult raccoon and number of baby raccoons were removed by the city from the neighbor’s property last week, according to Sherrill.

It was June 10, 2013, when Accorti shot and killed five kittens in response to a homeowner’s request for help in ridding her property of stray cats, which have posed a problem in the city.

That incident occurred at a residence where young children were present but did not witness the actual shooting, which triggered protest from angry residents demanding Accorti’s firing, threats of legal action by humane groups, and thousands of signers to online petitions demanding action, including Accorti’s dismissal.

Accorti’s actions at the time were deemed appropriate by Freeman.

The episode led the city to announce it would no longer dispatch police or humane officers to handle feral cat calls, and to the formation of a citizens advisory committee in hopes of developing a better means of reducing the city’s numbers of stray or feral cats.

(Chronicle - June 10, 2014)

Earlier:

• Four young children scream in horror as humane society officer shoots dead their five kittens after promising that the cats 'would go to kitty heaven'

Utah: Future serial killer, 16, charged with torturing and killing kitten by shooting it repeatedly in the head with blowgun darts

UTAH --  It's a sight Lee Webb says he'll never forget: a dead kitten with two blowgun darts through its skull, lying in his backyard.

"I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I thought, ‘That’s not real,'" Webb said. "It's disgusting seeing a domesticated animal killed for no reason. It's ridiculous. It's just not right."

Around 9 a.m. St. George resident Lee Webb’s chihuahua was standing in front of the doggy door that exits into the backyard when he began barking wildly.

“I didn’t think it was anything at first,” Webb said.  “He started going crazy at the doggy door and then he ran out.”

Just outside his back door a kitten lay dead with two 6-inch darts – sharpened spikes made of steel with plastic ends – protruding from its head. At first he thought the cat was fake, but then he touched the cat and found it to still be warm.

The darts had long metal spikes with plastic ends, he said. Two were in the kitten's head, and Webb found several others in his yard.

“It had just happened,” he said. “I covered the cat with a cloth and called animal control.”

Previous to this incident Webb found additional darts laying in his backyard  which he had suspected were aimed at his dog, but his dog has never been hit.

“I love animals. They trust people,” Webb said. “Little kittens are trusting souls that don’t need to be put down like that.”

"It's disgusting," he said. "Seeing a domesticated animal killed for no reason whatsoever is ridiculous. I think there should be jail time for that and not just a slap on the hand. It's just not right."

St. George police spokesman Sam Despain said officers interviewed several residents in the neighborhood Friday evening. A 16-year-old boy was questioned, and officers found probable cause that he was involved in the incident, Despain said.

The 16-year-old was referred to juvenile court and will face animal cruelty charges, police said.

The kitten was a community cat and didn't belong to anyone, but wandered through the neighborhood at random, Webb said.

"(Pets) don't know any better," he said. "They expect us to be nice to them. They don't expect you to kill them. Especially kittens, they'll come right up to you and rub your leg and they'll be wanting water or milk and then you stick a dark in their head? Come on."

A similar incident occurred in February when a teen boy was referred to juvenile court after shooting a cat with an arrow in Washington County.

(Deseret news - June 23 2014)

Officers investigating after finding hanged dog

ARIZONA -- Flagstaff police are investigating a case of intentional animal cruelty after a dead dog was found strangled to death in the Sunnyside neighborhood.

According to the police report, a man reported around 3:30 p.m. Saturday that he had just returned home from work when his children told him there was a dog hanging on a fence post in the alleyway behind their residence in the 2500 block of North Center Street. Officers identified the dog as a small brown Chihuahua.

It appeared to have been strangled by a leash that had been wrapped around its neck several times.

Officers also determined it had been there for awhile. The officer removed the dog’s body and transported it to the Coconino Humane Association pending notification of the owners.

So far, police have not identified the owners or any suspects.

(AZ Daily Sun - June 10, 2014)

Perry man arrested for animal cruelty

FLORIDA -- A Perry man is charged with animal cruelty after dragging his two dogs behind his vehicle.

Emory Jenkins was arrested and transported to the Taylor County Jail after someone called in about the incident. Officers say Jenkins tied the leashes of his chocolate Labrador and tan Collie to his car and drove for several miles.

Jenkins told officers that he was taking the dogs for a run. The leash he used was about three feet long. Jenkins says he did not tie a longer leash to the dogs because he did not want them to get run over by another vehicle.

One of the dogs is in stable condition and the other in fair condition.

(WTXL - June 18, 2014)

Lancaster man accused of killing pup by throwing it out of moving car

TEXAS -- A man accused of killing a puppy by throwing it out of a moving car in Parker County was arrested and charged on Tuesday.

Marquael Odoric Greer, 32, of Lancaster has been charged with cruelty to non-livestock animals -- torture, according to officials.

Greer was reportedly arguing with his girlfriend as he drove along I-20 last week.

The girlfriend, who was in the car’s passenger seat at the time, told authorities that at one point, Greer rolled a window down, picked up the 6-week-old, mixed-breed Chihuahua that was sitting in her lap, threw it out the window and kept driving.

Tarrant County deputies later discovered the dead puppy near a shoulder of I-20, with blood coming from its nose and mouth. The puppy’s head was swollen, and deputies saw blood in the center of the freeway where the puppy had landed.

Authorities are also investigating after Greer’s girlfriend told them that Greer physically assaulted her before kicking her and another passenger out of the car. She was taken to a Fort Worth hospital and treated for injuries.

(KDFW - June 12, 2014)

Brave dad saves pup from brutal attack

AUSTRALIA -- THE courage of a bystander has saved a 14-week-old Scottish terrier after it was attacked by another dog outside the Aldinga Beach Primary School. 
 
Natalie Cardinal was waiting to pick her son, Riley, up from the school last week when her dog, Isla, was attacked by a Staffordshire bull terrier.

Tim Pascoe was waiting to pick up his children from the school when her saw the dog attack. Mr Pascoe ran more than 50 metres to grab the attacking dog and prise open its jaws, which were locked around the neck of the little dog.

Tim Pascoe (centre) has been hailed a hero after rescuing Scottish
 terrier Isla from the jaws of another dog ... he is pictured with Isla’s
owners Riley, Oscar and Marley. Picture: Calum Robertson.

Mrs Cardinal said she was holding her eight-month-old son, Oscar, and had four-year-old son, Marley, in a pram, when the dog leapt from the window of a parked car and raced towards Isla.

“We were standing at the school gates and Isla went to have a drink of water from a puddle,” Mrs Cardinal said.

“The other dog did not even make a sound, it jumped out of the car window and was on her neck.”

She said the dog grabbed Isla by the throat, severing an artery in her neck. The blood was squirting everywhere, I couldn't do anything, I tried pushing the dog away,” Mrs Cardinal, of Port Willunga, said.

“Two people rushed to me and came to my aid and wedged the other dog’s jaw open to get it off. Isla dropped to the ground in a puddle of dark blood, I thought she was gone.”

Mrs Cardinal said she grabbed a plastic bag from her pocket and wrapped it around Isla’s throat to stop the bleeding.

A parent drove her to a vet in Aldinga, where Isla was operated on for about two and a half hours.

“He managed to get her through that, but we thought she would die of shock overnight, she didn't and we brought her home two days later,” she said.

Mrs Cardinal was critical of the owner of the Staffordshire bull terrier, saying he did “too little too late”.

HERO: Tim Pacsoe gets a heartfelt lick from Isla with a
grateful Natalie Cardinal looking on at her Port Willunga home.
Picture: Calum Robertson

“I did not know any of the people that helped me,” she said.

“The guy who pulled the dog’s jaw apart had all scratch and teeth marks all over his hand. The school community got her through, if they weren’t there she would not have survived.”

She said she understood there was no destruction order placed on the other dog and the owner would be fined.

“I am not asking for him to lose his family pet, but it should be muzzled when it is out in public, even when it is in his car he should have it under control.”
(Adelaide Now - June 27, 2014)

Man Charged with Arson, Animal Cruelty

ALABAMA -- A man was arrested Friday afternoon following a domestic dispute which led to an arson and animal cruelty charge.

Authorities were called out to the residence of 63-year-old Clarence Smith following an alleged domestic dispute with his wife. Smith reportedly set fire to a wicker chair causing damages to the outside of the house. The damage caused to the house is estimated at $500.

Mobile Fire-Rescue Public Information Officer Steve Huffman said Smith was observed punching a female dog and throwing at least one of her puppies around the yard. Huffman said it the animals appear to be unharmed.

Smith is charged with dog/cat cruelty 1st degree, domestic violence 3rd (harassment) and arson 2nd.
This is not the first incident Smith has had with arson though. According to jail records, Smith was charged with arson 3rd in 2012 and 2013.

His records show he has faced charges ranging from public intoxication, theft and drug use to harassment and sodomy dating back to 1985. 

(WPMI - June 15, 2014)

Utica Woman Facing Animal Cruelty Charges

NEW YORK -- A Utica woman has been arrested on animal abuse charges.

Utica Police say officers were called to the 2000 block of Genesee Street and found two dogs that were in need of veterinarian care.

They say one of the dogs had an untreated leg injury.

Thirty-five year old Crystal Zegarelli was charged with two counts of animal cruelty.

The dogs were seized and placed in the care of a veterinarian.

(wibx950.com - June 25, 2014)

Trifecta in Georgia: Illegal alien, Miguel Sanchez, 41, caught w/no license, driving drunk and dragging a German Shepherd down the road

GEORGIA -- A 41-year-old Cumming man faces animal cruelty and traffic charges after he was spotted Wednesday afternoon driving a pickup truck that was dragging a German shepherd behind it along Ronald Reagan Boulevard.

According to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, Miguel Sanchez remains in custody at the local detention center.

Miguel Lechuga Sanchez

Bond has been set at $4,680.50 on the charges of animal cruelty, driving under the influence and driving on a suspended license, all of which are misdemeanors. In addition, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed a hold on him.

According to the sheriff’s office, the incident began about 4:30 p.m. when Forsyth County 911 began receiving reports from motorists that a truck was dragging a dog tied to a leash along on Ronald Reagan (Hwy. 141) near The Collection outdoor mall.

A sheriff’s investigator in an unmarked car reportedly spotted the truck, but did not see a dog.

 

 

 

Several motorists then alerted the investigator to the truck, which he stopped at Ronald Reagan and Majors Road. Inside, according to sheriff’s reports, he found an injured German shepherd.

Deputies determined the dog, which was bleeding heavily, needed immediate medical attention. They took it to a nearby veterinarian’s office, where it was treated for what were described as injuries to the front paws and bruising around the neck.

It appears the dog, which had been tied down in the bed of the truck, fell out during the trip.

 

It was not immediately clear how far the dog was dragged before Sanchez realized what had happened, stopped and put him inside.

At last check, the dog was expected to survive.

(Forsyth News - June 18, 2014)

Family demands action after dog attack

CONNECTICUT -- A family could only watch helplessly as their family pet was mauled by a roaming dog, and now they want that dog put down.

Town officials said it's not that easy. 

Melissa Espinosa said her two children "were petrified" after their family St. Bernard, Beethoven, was attacked in her driveway on Beebe Street in East Haddam on Sunday.

Espinosa and her boys were relaxing outside with the family pet when in seconds, the St. Bernard was on the ground fighting for his life against another dog. A dog Espinosa said just seemed to come out of nowhere.

"The pit bull went to Beethoven and all of a sudden that was it, Beethoven was on the ground," Espinosa said.

Another neighbor tried to help her, but he was unable to break up the [attack]. Espinosa said the dog's owner arrived, grabbed the dog and [fled] without saying a word.

Beethoven had surgery and will require more visits to the vet. On Wednesday night, he was covered in bandages. The Espinosas want the dog's owner to cover nearly $1,000 in vet bills, and they want the dog put down.

"It could have attacked my kids," Espinosa said.

"Under state statute that's not something that we can just do because the dog has not attacked a human," said East Haddam First Selectmen Mark Walter. "So when it's dog on dog, it's more of a civil manner. We are going as far as we can." 

Walter said they served the dogs owner with a restraining order on the dog, but by law they can't take the animal.

"It means that the dog cannot be off a leash, it has to be muzzled and under full control of the owner," Walter said. 

"I want the owner to at least have some remorse and call us and ask us how our children are doing," Espinosa said.

Eyewitness News tried to contact the pit bull's owner but were unable to reach them Wednesday night.

Town officials will meet with state animal control officials tomorrow to see what else they can do. As for the restraining order on the dog, they can extend it as long as they feel they need to.

(WSHM-TV - June 20, 2014)

Woman Charged With Animal Cruelty In Danville Court

VIRGINIA -- A Danville woman charged with animal cruelty appeared in court Thursday.

 

 

We told you how the Danville Area Humane Society confiscated eight cats plus four dead ones which were in a cooler in front of Dorothy Stroud's house on Grey Street. Two of the confiscated cats had to be put down because of health issues.

A Danville police officer and the Executive Director of the Danville Area Humane Society testified in court Thursday. Dorothy Stroud seemed visibly upset by the decisions especially when looking at the presented evidence.


Police say they were notified about the problem when children found the cooler in front of Stroud's house. Inside, police say they found an adult cat and three smaller cats inside, all soaking wet, all dead.

 

[Is she drowning them??]

Police say they asked Stroud about the cooler and say she admitted she knew about it, having noticed it in front of her house the day before. She told them she opened it and thought it smelled bad but said she didn't see the cats.
   
Stroud agreed to the Humane Society getting custody over the cats. She also is not allowed to have a companion animal. Stroud also agreed to allowing the Humane Society to set up traps for what is believed to be over a dozen more cats around her house.

 

"Cases like this are always very sad. Yes you do feel happy that we now have custody over the animals but there is great sadness for her condition, the condition the animals were in," said Paulette Dean, Executive Director of the Danville Area Humane Society.

After the hearing, Stroud's family told us she has trouble seeing and feels bad about what happened.
Stroud was also arraigned Thursday on 12 charges including animal cruelty.

(WSET - Jun 12, 2014)

Pet grooming business owner turns himself in on animal cruelty charges

ALABAMA -- The owner of a pet grooming business in downtown Birmingham charged with animal cruelty has turned himself in to  the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

Scott Alan Kirkland, 45, owns Head to Tail Animal Care 4915 5th Avenue South in Birmingham.

 

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office says they learned in early May that his business was operating as an animal shelter and adoption center. The sign on the business lists both Head to Tail Animal Care and the Birmingham Animal Adoption Rescue Center (BAARC).

Deputies searched his pet grooming business on June 12 and removed 13 dogs and two cats from the business.

 

 

The animals that were removed were malnourished and had obvious skin problems, Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale said.

Sheriff Hale said the animals were being boarded in "unacceptable" conditions.


Kirkland was not at the business when deputies searched it. He spoke with an investigator by phone on June 12 and said he was out of town.

 

 

 

On Monday, the Sheriff's Office says Kirkland is still at large.

Kirkland has been charged with five counts of animal cruelty and one count of operating a business without a license. His bond is set at $31,000.

A FOX6 On Your Side special report focused on Scott Kirkland after a viewer complained about adopting sick puppies from Kirkland. Kirkland offered to pay the vet bills but so far has not picked up the receipts from Fox6 News.

Kirkland stipulated to animal cruelty charges in Leeds and appealed to Jefferson County court.

(WBRC - Jun 30, 2014)

Earlier:

• 13 dogs, 2 cats removed from downtown Birmingham business