Rhode Island: Rescued Smithfield dogs waiting for court decision; Michael Williams and Michael Ramos each charged with 25 counts of Animal Cruelty

RHODE ISLAND -- The Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is reporting that the English Bulldogs and French bulldogs rescued on March 20 from a Smithfield home at 189 Pleasant View Ave. are not available for adoption or foster care due to pending court proceedings.

 

 

The rescued animals included more than 25 dogs and puppies, more than 100 snakes, and rats. They are all in the custody of Smithfield Animal Control and shelters in North Providence and Burrillville.

Thomas Taylor, Smithfield Animal Control Warden, said the local shelter took in a total of eight dogs, four of which are puppies. The RISPCA took in four pregnant females, according to Taylor, because they have more resources to care for the dogs.

 

 

 

Until a decision is made in the case, the dogs will remain in the custody of animal control and the RISPCA, but Taylor said he hopes ownership of the animals is relinquished and the pups can go to proper, caring homes.

“We’re going to wait it out, it all depends on the judges and what they decided. We’ll see if a judge can get them to hand them over,” Taylor said.

 

 

Two arrests were made in the case, charging Michael Williams (aka Mike Williams, Omar Williams) and Michael Ramos (aka Noel Ramos, Mike Ramos) each with 25 counts of unnecessary cruelty to animals and conspiracy, according to Taylor. Reports that the dogs were standing in their own waste were made following the rescue, and the house was condemned.

Taylor refers to the specialized breed as “Little Bulldozers,” and said each dog has a great temperament in spite of their history. He estimated the puppies would have sold for between $2,500 and $3,500.

 

 

Adoption applications are not being accepted at this time, but Taylor said calls inquiring for the pups have not stopped since the arrests. He said until a decision is made, he can’t hold the dogs for adoption either.

Thankfully, he said, the community supported the shelter, and food and monetary donations have not stopped. He asked that any checks be made out to the RISPCA, as they are handling the costs of any veterinary services the animals receive.

“We’re all working together, all the local shelters are working together on this one,” he said.

He said a situation such as this brings out the best in the community, and the shelter is in good shape when it comes to collars and leashes.

Smithfield held an emergency animal shelter supply drive last Saturday, March 24, collecting cleaning supplies, pet food, dog shampoo, leashes, and collars. Taylor said the community “really helped us out,” and it was a great effort.

 

 

(Valley Breeze - March 28, 2018)

Earlier:

• Rhode Island: Animal control removes dogs, rats and snakes from Smithfield home
• Rhode Island: Animal cruelty suspect Michael Williams was already on probation for animal cruelty

Rhode Island: Animal cruelty suspect Michael Williams was already on probation for animal cruelty

SMITHFIELD, RHODE ISLAND -- One of two men charged with keeping more than two dozen dogs in squalid conditions at a Smithfield home faced a judge Thursday.

Michael Williams (aka Mike Williams, Omar Williams), 34, was arraigned on 25 counts of animal cruelty but the judge said the lead charge against him was growing marijuana with an expired permit.

He was ordered held without bail for violating the terms of his probation, which stemmed from a similar arrest last year.

Investigators on Tuesday removed 25 dogs, mainly English Bulldogs and French Bulldogs, from Williams' home at 189 Pleasant View Avenue.

The Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RISPCA) said it was alerted to the situation by a delivery person. Smithfield police said there was a strong smell of feces and urine upon entering the home.

In addition, dozens of rare snakes and more than 300 rats were discovered in the basement of a shed on the property.

 

 

 

Williams was arrested last year on 11 counts of animal cruelty - about 30 dogs were seized at the time - but for some reason the prosecutor's office didn't bother to include "not to own animals" as part of his plea agreement so he wasn't barred from having animals.

And apparently they actually returned some of the seized dogs that he's accused of abusing.

Officials said some of the dogs removed on Tuesday were among the ones seized last year when Williams was charged with Animal Cruelty for the first time.

Investigators believe Williams was breeding the animals to sell. The dogs are now recovering at the RISPCA and various municipal shelters.

 

 

 

 

 

"We got an update in court that one of the dogs that's in the care of another agency is being brought in for surgery this morning, so they did have some pretty significant health issues," RISPCA Special Agent Earl Newman said.

Williams has so far relinquished the rights to four pets, according to Newman.

The second man arrested, Michael Ramos (aka Noel Ramos, Mike Ramos, Michael Noel Ramos), 35, was charged with 25 counts of animal cruelty as well as one count of conspiracy.

As a first offender, he posted bail and was released the night of his arrest. He's due back in court April 3 for arraignment.

 

 

 

(WPRI - March 22, 2018)

Earlier:

• Rhode Island: Animal control removes dogs, rats and snakes from Smithfield home

Rhode Island: Animal control removes dogs, rats and snakes from Smithfield home - same house raided last year

RHODE ISLAND -- The Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and animal control officers from several communities removed about two dozen dogs from a home in Smithfield on Tuesday.

The RISPCA said rescuers took 25 to 30 dogs from 189 Pleasant View Avenue. A truck was brought in later to cart away hundreds of snakes and rats. The house was condemned.

Police also took away two men in handcuffs, including Michael Williams (aka Mike Williams, Omar Williams) and Michael Ramos (aka Noel Ramos, Mike Ramos). They were facing animal cruelty charges.

Animal control officers from North Providence, Smithfield, Glocester and Burrillville assisted with the removal of the dogs, which included English Bulldogs and bulldog-mix breeds.

"A number of the dogs were living in crates that were filled with accumulated feces, urine. They were standing in feces. The ammonia level was off the charts. It was very difficult for us to be in there," Joe Warzycha of RISPCA said.

The RISPCA said the men could also face breeding and town violations since they had more than three dogs.

Williams is no stranger to the RISPCA.

 

 

 

ANIMALS SEIZED FROM SAME HOUSE LAST YEAR (!)

The organization was at the home on Pleasant View Avenue last year and took out about 30 dogs. Williams was charged with animal cruelty then.

"We didn't know there were going to be this many today, but he has a history of having a large number of dogs in the house," Warzycha said.

But they found more than dogs this time.

Authorities confiscated hundreds of snakes, possibly worth tens of thousands of dollars if not more, and hundreds of rats, which were presumably bred to feed to the snakes. They also seized several lizards.

“There's no cruelty issues there, but the animals are being seized for safekeeping,” Warzycha said.

 

 

Pure Paradise Pets, a pet store in Johnston, was called in to remove all of them.

"There's geckos in the rack behind you. There's snakes right behind you on the floor in the tubs," Jim Arnold, who owns the pet shop, told NBC 10 News. "We've been moving stuff for 10 hours."

Arnold is providing all the reptiles and rats a place to live until the men go through their due process. The snakes won't be sold or up for adoption quite yet.

"This is more of a courtesy from one snake keeper to another snake keeper," Arnold said, adding that he wants to keep the snakes comfortable and happy.

Williams and Ramos are due in court Wednesday.

 

Authorities said Williams is still on probation from the Animal Cruelty charges from last year.

Given Williams' history, authorities don't want these or any other animals to return.

“He was permitted to have animals [after the last time he was charged with animal cruelty], which we're hoping doesn't happen this time around,” Warzycha said.

 

 

(Turnto10 - March 20, 2018)

(October 2017) Florida: Okaloosa County Sheriff's deputy rescues snake fleeing from house fire

FLORIDA -- Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office posted on Facebook October 30, 2017 ·

Look who Deputy Lane rescued trying to escape the active scene around a house fire. 😁 She made sure the baby 🐍 was safely relocated #savethecritters  👍⭐️

Ohio: At first it sounds as though dispatchers find the call amusing, but then you hear the terror in this poor woman's voice on the 911 call

OHIO -- Firefighters came to the rescue of an East Lake Road woman when they cut the head off her pet boa constrictor that had wrapped around her neck and was biting her face.

In a 911 call about 2 p.m. Thursday, the woman identifies herself as a 45-year-old who has 11 snakes — all ball pythons, except the two boa constrictors she had rescued Wednesday. She told the dispatcher that the other boa constrictor was in a cage.

Dispatcher: "911, what is the location of your emergency?"

Victim: "Please! I have a boa constrictor stuck to my face!"

Dispatcher: "Ma'am, you have a what??!"

“I’ve never heard of this before,” the dispatcher can be heard saying to emergency responders.

Neighbors on the street declined to comment, although some witnessed the scene after the woman ran outside to wait for EMS.

By that point the snake was wrapped around her waist and biting her face.

When firefighters arrived, the woman was lying in her driveway and the snake had moved from her waist and was now wrapped around her neck, authorities said.

“It was wrapped around her neck and biting her nose and wouldn’t let go,” Fire Chief Tim Card said. “They had to cut its head off with a knife to get it to let go of her face.”

Card said a pocket knife was used to kill the snake, which the woman told authorities was five feet long.

Card said firefighters disposed of the snake in a garbage bin near Sheffield Lake City Hall after it was dead.

Police Chief Tony Campo referred all questions about the incident to the Fire Department and said there would be no police report of the incident.

No one was home at the house about 2:30 p.m. Thursday, but a glass cage was empty on the sidewalk and there was a small puddle of blood in the driveway.

The Fire Department would not release the name of the woman but said she was taken to a hospital with injuries that weren’t life-threatening.

LISTEN TO THE 911 CALL:

(The Chronicle-Telegram - July 27, 2017)

Florida: Arrested back in January along with his 'doobie brother' Daniel Lawlor, Ashtyn Rance has additional charges filed against him

FLORIDA -- Back in January, Ashtyn and Daniel were heading down the road in their oh-so-stylish blue Mom Jeans minivan. Ashtyn was driving but apparently hit the bong a bit too hard. A cop spotted him "driving erratically" and pulled him over.

Walking up to the van, the cop immediately smelled the pot which gave him enough probable cause to yank them out of the van. Inside the van, they found more than 100 small critters destined for Emerald Coral & Reptiles Pet Store (which is apparently under investigation for allegedly purchasing non-permitted wildlife and re-selling them with possibly falsified permits or on the black market).

It didn't appear that the animals had been abused or neglected. I'm sure these two idiots got paid per animal so it wasn't in their best interests to arrive at Emerald Coral & Reptiles with a van full of dead reptiles.

The problem is: neither Ashtyn nor Daniel had the proper permits for these animals. Where did they get them? Who knows? But the cops called Florida Fish and Wildlife who came out, photographed, inventoried all the animals, and threw some initial charges at the two potheads.

The few hermit crabs and the red snake are native to Florida so they released them to live happily ever after. However, the iguanas, lizards and geckos were not so lucky.

 

NOTHING TO SMILE ABOUT
They killed this little lizard for no reason except he wasn't
native to Florida and the 2 men did not have permits for him.

Wildlife officers KILLED ALL 76 OF THE IGUANAS, LIZARDS AND GECKOS.

Why? What did they do to deserve death?

Because they're not native to Florida, they couldn't be released. So? Assign the proper permits to the animals and send them to a qualified reptile rescue. But, see, wildlife agencies don't do that. It's easier for them to simply kill the animals.

Anyway, looks like Ashtyn Rance picked up some additional charges since the January arrest and the judge slapped a $65,000 bond on him so he might still be cooling his jets at the county jail right now.

Fort Pierce man jailed in sale of pink toe tarantulas, boas, other exotics
TC Palm - June 2, 2017

A Fort Pierce man accused of improperly selling a variety of exotic animals, including pink toe tarantulas and Brazilian rainbow boas, was arrested on more than 10 charges, according to records released this week.

Ashtyn Michael Rance, 31, of the 10300 block of Orange Avenue in Fort Pierce, was arrested Wednesday on 12 misdemeanor counts of possession of captive wildlife for commercial or sanctuary purposes without a permit and a single misdemeanor count related to having a nile monitor.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigation began after Rance in May 2016 was denied a license for the commercial sale/exhibit/display of so-called Class III wildlife, which includes skunks, parrots, snakes, geckos, finches, foxes and frogs.

By comparison, Class I wildlife includes lions, hippopotamuses, bears and elephants — animals “that pose a significant danger to people,” according to the FWC. Class II wildlife, which also can pose a danger, includes bobcats, howler monkeys, dwarf crocodiles and wolverines.

In June 2016, an investigator reported seeing Rance in Hillsborough County at a reptile exposition with Class III wildlife for commercial purposes.

A month after that, investigators got information “on Facebook that Rance continued to commercially sell captive wildlife without a license.” Rance also posted pictures of himself importing creatures from Guyana, records show.

Investigators said that Rance on a Facebook page stated he used another entity’s license, but investigators say that license is for a different address in Palm Bay and in Rance’s case is not allowed.

Other records gotten through a Facebook search warrant and PayPal subpoena show arrangements for payment from people via PayPal for animals including collared lizards, red foot tortoises and blue iguanas.

Rob Klepper, a spokesman for FWC, said whether the people who bought the creatures did anything inappropriate depends on the laws of their state. At least one person was in Colorado and one in Georgia.

“His violations were in regards to the sale of these animals, not necessarily the possession,” Klepper said.

One $2,720 direct deposit was for a variety of creatures including 10 Nile monitors. It’s illegal to possess those without a permit, Klepper said.

Nile monitors are non-native lizards that can grow to more than 5 feet and weigh nearly 15 pounds.

Rance was cited two previous times by FWC, and warned four previous times, according to Klepper.

Records provided by FWC show Rance in 2014 was convicted of possession of a venomous reptile without a license in Brevard County. That related to a dusky pygmy rattlesnake.

Rance was also convicted of cruelty to animals in 2006 in Palm Beach County.

“The FWC promotes responsible ownership of captive wildlife, and it is the goal of the FWC to develop the best regulations possible that provide for public safety, animal welfare, and the legitimate use of wildlife for educational, exhibition, or personal purposes,” Klepper said via email. “Florida’s captive wildlife regulations are among the most stringent in the nation.”

Rance was held Friday in the St. Lucie County Jail on $65,000 bail, a jail official said.

ARREST INFO:
Full Name: Ashtyn Michael Rance
Sex: Male
Race: White
Arrest Age: 31
Date: 05/31/2017
Time: 4:46 PM
Arresting Agency: Florida Fish and Wildlife
Location: St. Lucie County, Florida
Total Bond: $65,000
Charges
#1 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#2 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#3 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#4 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#5 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#6 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#7 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#8 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#9 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#10 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#11 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#12 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#13 Possession Of Prohibited Reptile. BOND: $5000

  

Earlier:

• Florida: Daniel Lawlor and Ashtyn Rance arrested after authorities found 114 lizards and hermit crabs in their van. Florida Fish & Wildlife KILLED SEVENTY-SIX OF THESE ANIMALS FOR NO GOOD REASON!