A woman who mistreated 21 dogs in her care and then backed into a Greene County Animal Control vehicle is serving 60 days in jail after appearing last week in Greene County General Sessions Court.
Lisa Jo Crawford, 52, of 4340 Jearoldstown Road, entered guilty pleas July 19 to a misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals, driving under the influence and reckless endangerment.
She was sentenced by Judge Kenneth Bailey Jr. to serve a total of 60 days in jail and placed on probation for 11 months, 29 days on each of the charges, with the probationary period to run concurrently. Two additional days in jail on the DUI conviction will also run concurrently (at the same time rather than one after the other, which is called consecutively).
Crawford must pay about $850 in court fees and fines and $650 in restitution to the Greeneville-Greene County Humane Society, which has taken care of the dogs since they were removed from her property on June 13.
Crawford’s driver’s license was also suspended for one year. She was fined $350 on the DUI conviction, $50 on the reckless endangerment conviction and $50 on the animal cruelty conviction, a court official said. Crawford was also ordered to seek drug and alcohol abuse treatment and attend a school for DUI offenders, a court official said.
Note: Just five months earlier, LISA JO CRAWFORD was arrested while robbing from her own neighbors:
The Greenville Sun - Feb 4, 2017
Lisa Jo Crawford, 51, of 4340 Jearoldstown Road, was charged Thursday by sheriff's deputies with aggravated burglary, possession of burglary tools, theft over $500 and vandalism over $1,000. Deputies responded to an ADT alarm activation in the 4100 block of Jearoldstown Road.
Four or five of the dogs have since been returned to Crawford’s relatives, with the added condition that she not own any dogs herself, the court official said.
Crawford was represented by the public defender’s office.
At least nine of the dogs rescued from Crawford’s property are available for adoption, a humane society official said Tuesday.
Crawford was initially charged with a felony count of animal cruelty and having no proof of vaccination for rabies for any of the animals.
In addition to DUI and reckless endangerment, Crawford was also charged with resisting arrest, evading arrest and reckless driving, all of which were dismissed in exchange for the guilty pleas to the other counts.
The felony animal cruelty and proof of vaccination counts were also dismissed [in exchange for her guilty pleas], according to court records.
The trouble for Crawford started on June 13, when county animal control officer Seth Spradlin investigated a cruelty to animals report on the Jearoldstown Road property.
Crawford was identified as the owner of the dogs.
Crawford told Spradlin “she would meet me up her driveway,” Spradlin’s report said.
Spradlin found that at least 21 dogs were on the property, including two “emaciated” animals in a pen with no water. Twelve more dogs were found chained up and “only a few had water and houses,” the report said.
Bling is one of the 21 dogs rescued from Lisa Crawford
and is up for adoption at the shelter
One dog was found chained to a truck and another was chained to a van.
Five smaller-size dogs were found inside Crawford’s house, the report said.
An investigation showed no proof of any rabies vaccination for any of the animals, the report added.
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Multiple dogs were in an emaciated condition” and all were taken into protective custody by animal control.
Crawford reacted angrily to the seizure of the dogs and nearly injured Spradlin.
“She got in her vehicle and threw it in reverse and backed into an animal control vehicle as he started to exit his vehicle,” sheriff’s Deputy Michael T. Jones said in a report.
“The (animal control) officer had to jump back into his vehicle to keep from being (hit by Crawford),” the report said.
Crawford drove off and was seen crossing the center line of the road and weaving “back and forth in her lane of travel,” the deputy’s report said.
Crawford was followed by a patrol car with lights and siren activated.
She continued “swerving back and forth in her lane (and) slamming her brakes on, trying to cause the (deputy) behind her to crash into her,” the report said.
Crawford also drove in the oncoming traffic lane “in blind spots and curves” before eventually pulling over, the report added.
Deputies detected an odor of alcohol on Crawford, who told them she “was taking Roxicontin pills.”
Saucy is one of the 21 dogs rescued from Lisa Crawford
and is up for adoption at the shelter
After the traffic stop, deputies attempted to place Crawford in handcuffs but she “kept jerking her arm away from officers,” a report said.
Animal control initially cared for some of the dogs and at least one required treatment by a veterinarian. Some had to be nursed back to health, a humane society member said.
So many new dogs had to be cared for at once that animal control was not able to accept any others until the humane society was able to step in and help.
For information about dogs available for adoption, call the Greeneville-Greene County Humane Society at 423-639-4771.
(
Greeneville Sun - July 26, 2017)
