Vermont: Ashleigh Tillson denies 88 counts of animal cruelty

VERMONT -- A South Hero woman has pleaded not guilty to 88 counts of animal cruelty after officials found scores of dead rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, birds and reptiles last month in her rented home.

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.

The dead animals included fish, rats, a mouse, chinchillas, hamsters, gerbils and a lizard. Thirty of the dead animals were in a freezer, but the electrical power had been shut off for three days because of nonpayment, reported Essinger, the deputy sheriff. The unseasonably warm weather helped turn the metal trailer into an oven, said Essinger, who has been specially trained in animal abuse cases.

“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.

VIDEO NEWS CLIP #1:


VIDEO NEWS CLIP #2:

(VT Digger - Oct 25 2017)

Earlier:

• Vermont: Ashleigh Tillson charged after 80 dead animals found. Ex-boyfriend reported her to Animal Control nearly 6 months earlier; they did NOTHING.
• Vermont: How massive case of alleged animal cruelty involving Ashleigh Tillson was uncovered

Vermont: How massive case of alleged animal cruelty involving Ashleigh Tillson was uncovered

VERMONT -- A man who went to mow a lawn made a gruesome discovery-- dozens of dead animals inside a South Hero home. He says the trailer's windows were shut and there was no power. Then, he went inside.

"The smell and the devastation, it was really bad," David Gardner said. "My lungs were not right for three days after."

The smell of 80 dead animals inside the house is something Gardner can't forget.

"When I went in, I found a lot of dead animals in cages and a lot of flies and a lot of fleas," he said.

Gardner and his family were renting out the home to Ashleigh Tillson, 30. Tillson now faces cruelty charges after police say they found 88 animals inside: birds, reptiles, fish and small mammals. All but eight were dead.

The Grand Isle Sheriff's Department says cases like this are rare in this community and this is the biggest one that they have seen. The lead investigator for the Humane Society says it's the saddest case they have seen.

Neighbors and people who frequently visit the area say they had no idea what was going on here.

"I didn't think anybody lived there," said Cyndi Reynolds of South Hero.

Polly Lee-Milton frequents the area to visit the graveyard across the street.

"I never saw any activity or anything," Lee-Milton said.

Travis Dubuque was picking up the propane tank at the property after he disconnected it over a month ago.

"It was bad a month ago; I had no idea what was going on inside the place," he said.

When WCAX News checked out the home, there were flies everywhere and a rotten smell emanating from the house. But we couldn't see inside because the building is boarded up.

Gardner says that he knows Tillson. She is his cousin's daughter. Gardner tells me he thinks she had good intentions and things just got out of hand. Right now, his focus is on the animals.

"Our concerns were the animals on the inside and that's all it really comes down to is that," Gardner said.

Ashleigh Tillson is due in court in three weeks.

We first reported on Tillson's arrest Wednesday night.

Since then, we've heard from several of people who gave their animals to Tillson who are concerned about their welfare.

We know that two rabbits, four lizards, a hedgehog and a chinchilla survived. They were taken to the Chittenden County Humane Society. We're told some of the animals are now staying with the volunteers who rescued them.

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(VT Digger - Sept 28, 2017)

Earlier:

• Vermont: Ashleigh Tillson charged after 80 dead animals found. Ex-boyfriend reported her to Animal Control nearly 6 months earlier; they did NOTHING.

Vermont: Ashleigh Tillson charged after 80 dead animals found. Ex-boyfriend reported her to Animal Control nearly 6 months earlier; they did NOTHING.

VERMONT -- A South Hero woman is facing animal cruelty charges after 80 dead animals were found in her trailer on South Street, the Grand Isle County Sheriff’s Department said Wednesday.

Ashleigh M. Tillson, 30, is due in Vermont Superior Court in North Hero on Oct. 19, Sheriff Ray Allen said.

Allen said the dead animals included rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, birds and reptiles.

Eight other animals – four lizards, two rabbits, one hedgehog and one chinchilla — were found alive last Thursday, Allen said.

The story was first reported by The Islander newspaper in North Hero.

The landlord reported checking the property and spotted the windows covered with flies, the sheriff’s department said. The tenant had been absent for some time, the sheriff said.

“The landlord entered into the trailer and was overwhelmed by the odor inside,” Allen said in a statement.

The landlord reported seeing numerous animal cages and dead animals inside.

Deputy Sheriff Jason Essinger, South Hero Town Constable Everett Dubuque and Health Officer Anne Zolotas all responded to the scene, the sheriff said.

The Humane Society of Chittenden County removed the dead animals and planned to examine them, Allen said.

“There were some ferrets that were nothing left of them but fur and bones,” said Dr. Peggy Larson, a veterinarian, according to WCAX-TV.

The personnel from the various agencies wore respirators and protective clothing to search the trailer for animals with the tenant’s permission.

Allen said there was no electricity and all the windows were closed at the trailer, which is across the road from the South Hero Cemetery.

Tillson’s ex-boyfriend told investigators that she would ask him for money for bills but would use it to buy more animals.

Quicker action by animal control could have made a difference here. Court documents reveal that Tillson's ex-boyfriend called Grand Isle animal control back in May but got no response.

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(VT Digger - Sept 27 2017)

Indiana: Ralph McKinney Jr and Amy McKinney accused of child neglect and animal cruelty. Now Ralph McKinney Jr is facing a charge of child molestation

INDIANA -- New developments in a child neglect case the Randolph County Sheriff called among the worst he's seen in his nearly three decades in law enforcement.

Ralph McKinney, Jr., now also faces a charge for molestation on top of his neglect charge.

Last week, his home in Farmland was condemned after police found feces and urine on the floors, a fridge stocked with rotten food and a dead rat in the freezer.

 

 

 

 

 

Earlier:

• Indiana: Three children and pets found living in trailer with feces-covered floor, cockroach infestation. Ralph McKinney Jr and Amy McKinney taken to jail

Indiana: Three children and pets found living in trailer with feces-covered floor, cockroach infestation. Ralph McKinney Jr and Amy McKinney taken to jail

INDIANA -- "It was absolutely horrible inside that house.  The parents have chosen to live that way, but these children did not have that choice," said Sheriff Hendrickson in talking about the Farmland-area home of Ralph and Amy McKinney.

Randolph County Sheriff's Deputies served a search warrant Thursday in the 7500 block of West 300 South in Farmland to investigate living conditions.

Police say the home was covered in animal feces and infested with cockroaches.

 

"Inside the trailer is absolutely deplorable," said Randolph County Sheriff Ken Hendrickson.

Sheriff Hendrickson said it was one of the worst living conditions he had observed in his 29 years of law enforcement.  

 

Pug and pig on front stoop of trailer

A sign on the door from the county health department declares the home "unfit for human habitation."

Hendrickson says the county got a warrant to search the mobile home after deputies were at the rural property on an unrelated call and saw the conditions for themselves.

 

Chihuahua in the middle of all this trash

The sheriff says police and health inspectors found "feces, urine. There was a potbelly pig running around in and out of the residence, feeding from there. It was absolutely horrible inside the house."

The sheriff's department supplied photos of the refrigerator.

"The food...there is no food there. It was stocked fully, but it was rotten," Hendrickson said. "And in the freezer itself, we actually found a dead rat inside the freezer."

 

Dead rat in the freezer with their food

On top of the food containers, the former family pet was being saved for the taxidermist according to the McKinneys.

Child Protective Services removed three young people from the house. A 16-year-old was there when police and health department arrived. She was home sick from school. Two boys, ages 11 and 17, were picked up after school.

 

Both parents, 44-year-old Ralph McKinney Jr. and his wife, Amy McKinney, 32, were arrested. They're each facing three counts of child neglect.

 

Animal Control carted away several chinchillas and dogs (including a Pug and a Chihuahua). Other livestock, like a pig and some goats, stayed on the property. They belong to the suspect's parents, who live in the next mobile home there on the same property. 

Police couldn't talk about the other investigation that brought them to the mobile home, but say they hope to wrap that case up soon.

 

(WTHR - Aug 18, 2016)

New York: 400 Birds, Turtles, Chinchillas Seized From NY Home belonging to Gary Gruber

NEW YORK -- Approximately 400 animals, mostly birds and turtles, were seized from a home Tuesday in what is being called Nassau County's largest animal seizure.

Nassau County SPCA spokesman Gary Rogers said officers with the Animal Crime Unit executed a search warrant at the home on Ocean Avenue in Bellmore Tuesday morning and found the animals living in unsanitary conditions.

The raid came after a neighbor complained numerous times about the noise and smell from the home.

The family shared the house with more than 250 birds, many of them beautiful, most of them exotic, and all of them loud.

"It sounded like the Amazon," a neighbor said.

"Oh, yeah. You can't help but know. You walk by and hear the birds," said Jackie Cornman, a neighbor.

"This is the illegal one. That's an illegal Asian Water Monitor," an animal expert said.

 

Birds were just the beginning. The owner had 151 reptiles, mostly turtles, like an alligator snapping turtle. He also had chinchilla's, prairie dogs, a skunk, and a few sugar gliders.

Nathan DeCorpo, a lawyer for homeowner Gary Gruber [wants us to believe that] his client "is a conservationist who rehabilitates animals". But the SPCA disagrees.

"We're going to be here for a long time today. It was animals living in filthy [slimy] water, they didn't have proper food and water, and they were living without a healthy supply of healthy fresh air. It was very unsanitary in there," said Gary Rogers, SPCA Spokesman. "It’s a condition that you wouldn’t want to live in and we have a responsibility not to leave the animals there either.”

Workers wore Tyvek suits and some had air filtration systems because the smell was so pungent.

"It's horrible for the animals. The animals couldn't have fared well, and you saw, the animals that are coming out, there's nine birds in a cage, that's cruelty and those animals are beautiful," Cornman said.

 

It’s not the first time animal rescuers visited Gruber.

Nearly a year ago, they removed an alligator he owned. In a deal back then, Gruber was told to clean up his home [in exchange for criminal charges not being filed against him] but he failed to meet the deadline. The investigation is continuing.

(WABC- June 21, 2016)

Quarryville hoarder, Ethan Alan Carter, 53, faces 22 charges of animal cruelty

PENNSYLVANIA -- Nearly two dozen charges of animal cruelty have been filed against a 53-year-old Quarryville man.

Ethan Alan Carter, of Lime Street, faces 22 separate counts of cruelty after the menagerie — 12 dogs, four chinchillas, three cats, two cockatiels and a snake — were seized from his home on Sept. 24.

Charges were filed Sept. 30 before District Judge Stuart Mylin, according to a series of criminal dockets.

 

Acting on a warrant, local animal cruelty officers seized the animals after a zoning complaint was filed against Carter.

The arresting officer, Jennifer Nields, said at the time it was “definitely a hoarding situation.”

The animals, which were taken to the Lancaster County SPCA, all showed signs of neglect, including mange, according to SPCA director Susan Martin.

“They were living in horrible conditions, many were living in their own feces,” Martin said at the time. Two of the dogs, for instance, were kept in tiny, filthy cages in a dark basement, she said.

The three cats were euthanized after testing positive for feline leukemia, Martin said. Otherwise, the animals are all available for adoption or have already found new homes.

One terrier mix and 10 pugs have been adopted, she said, leaving one terrier still up for adoption. The chinchillas and birds are also available at the SPCA’s shelter at 848 S. Prince St.

The snake was given to That Fish Place/That Pet Place for rehoming.

(LancasterOnline - Oct 2, 2015)

331 chinchillas seized from “hoarder home,” parents could face charges for 3 children living in deplorable conditions

WISCONSIN -- A welfare check in a Wisconsin town reveals a mess authorities call unsafe.
Authorities found 331 chinchillas inside a home in Waukesha -and that’s not all.

Police say three children live in the home — ages seven, nine and 17.  According to police, conditions in the home were “deplorable” — calling the home a “hoarder home” based on pathways through the home to negotiate through stacks of clothing and various belongings.

 

Animal rescue crews from ‘HAWS’ – The Humane Animal Welfare Society – taking kennel after kennel from inside the home.

Police say the smell of ammonia was so overwhelming that officers contacted the Waukesha Fire Department.

Chief Mark Sweet said, “Our fire marshall deemed it not livable in there.”

Police were originally called to the home for a welfare check, but it was then they made the shocking discovery.

331 living chinchillas were pulled from the home. They were housed in the living room and dining room of the home — which is a rental property, police say.

25 dead chinchillas were found in the garage and a chest freezer in the basement.

Chief Sweet said the conditions inside the home are some of the worst he’s seen in his 30 years on the job.

The Department of Health and Human Services was also called out to the scene Sunday. Police say child neglect charges are expected to be filed against each of the parents in this case.

Police are also exploring charges related to the poor treatment of the chinchillas.

(Fox43 - March 30, 2015)

New York: Dead animals, others barely alive, found at Maria Faricellie's Dodge Boarding Kennels boarding kennel

NEW YORK -- Almost 150 animals – about half of them deceased and stashed away in freezers as long as three years ago – were seized from a Getzville boarding kennel Friday morning by law enforcement officials.

The sight at Dodge Boarding Kennels on Dodge Road was as horrifying as it was bizarre.

Dogs locked away in crates were living in around-the-clock darkness.

Doves with no feathers on their necks were packed into a tiny cage.

The teeth of a Chinchilla had grown so long the animal starved to the brink of death.

And, there were 72 dead animals. They had been bagged, tagged and stored in a kennel freezer.

“This is textbook hoarder behavior,” said Gina Browning, spokeswoman for the SPCA Serving Erie County. “In some cases, the dead animals were better cared for than the live animals.

“The people in this establishment were working to care for these carcasses.”

Browning said charges are expected in the case but are pending a thorough investigation by both SPCA officials and the state Department of Environmental Conservation Police. Officials declined to release the names of the operators until charges are filed. Browning said officials were still trying to sort out the business owners, property owner and owners of the animals.

Public records show the property is owned by Maria L. Faricellie. It remained unclear late Friday what, if any, role Faricellie had in the operation of the kennel, however.

Neither Faricellie nor anyone at the kennel responded to repeated telephone calls Friday.

The kennel’s website advertises that it offers a place “where your pet becomes a part of our family” and accommodates “traditional and non-traditional pets” for day care and overnight boarding, walks, bathing and grooming, around-the-clock supervision and other services.

As horrific as the scene was, Browning said it is unlikely felony charges will be filed in the case.

“This isn’t like setting a dog on fire,” Browning said. “I know it’s perverse. For them, this is a form of love. This is a person who believes they are caring for and providing for these animals.

“Are you going for a case like where someone put an arrow through a cat? No, it’s different.”

But, Browning said, by state law, it is still defined as animal cruelty.

Hello. You charge them the maximum. They had intent. They knew that the animals were dying left and right. They hid them away. They knowingly continued this house of horrors for their own desires. No, no one really expects them to be sent off to prison but you file the maximum charges and get them on probation for YEARS to prevent them from doing this again.

In total, rescuers took away 77 live animals. The DEC took a half-dozen of them. Those were different turtles, tortoises and frogs that were illegally possessed under state law. The other animals – which included dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, at least one chicken and the chinchilla – went to the SPCA’s Town of Tonawanda facility.

Officials later decided to retrieve the freezers kept at the kennel with the dead animals, which also included a dead raccoon. Those animals were taken to the SPCA.

SPCA investigators needed a search warrant from Amherst Town Court to get onto the site Friday and conducted the raid with DEC officials and assistance from Amherst Police.

“We were out there twice last week and were denied entry to the premises,” Browning said.

The rescue was based in part on information received from anonymous sources, Browning said, possibly former customers.

Online reviews of the kennel varied. Some, including testimonials on the kennel’s website, praised the facility.

“The girls that work there go out of their way for all the animals and you can tell that they love each and every one of the animals as if they were the only ones there,” wrote Donna of Ransomville last December on the website Yelp.

However, Macie of Massachusetts, who said she dropped off her beagles only to pick them up a short time later, cautioned: “When you go to the facility, you can immediately see signs that the place is dirty and not well kept. The outside is bad, the inside is worse. As soon as you walk through the doors, you are hit over the head with the stench of dirty animals.”

Browning said the animals seized Friday appeared to be suffering from myriad ailments due to maltreatment, neglect or squalor at the kennel.

Cats were sick with upper respiratory infections. The nails on the chicken grew so long, they began to “corkscrew,” Browning said.

The doves were packed so tightly in a cage, they began pecking each other’s necks until the feathers fell off.

The chinchilla was fighting for its life late Friday at the SPCA, but officials weren’t optimistic it would survive.

The animal was grossly dehydrated and malnourished and, although SPCA officials were administering fluids late Friday, may already have been into organ failure.

Other animals were malnourished, had pressure sores or severe matting or were existing in unsanitary conditions, Browning said.

“They were suffering in means consistent with their species,” she said.

Most of the animals seemed to be owned by the operators of the kennel, according to SPCA officials. In at least one case, however, Browning said the SPCA was contacted Friday by a dog owner who dropped a pet off there Thursday and was seeking to recover it. The animal was in the SPCA’s custody.

Officials could not say exactly how long the abuse was occurring, but one clue suggested it may have been at least three years.

A tag on one of the frozen carcasses dated from early 2011.

Browning said the bagged and tagged animals were found in three separate freezers.

“Mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, cats, dogs and a raccoon were in the freezers,” Browning said. “We also found a turtle shell and skull.”

Hoarders often have a need for control over the animal in life and in death, she said.

“When an animal is dead, they are carefully bagged and tagged,” Browning said of the Getzville situation. “The variety of the deceased animals is surprising. That’s unusual. I’ve seen dogs and cats and some rabbits, but there’s quite a variety here.”

Initial attempts to survey kennel conditions by SPCA Officers Jessica Coughlin and Christina Vitello were rebuffed Oct. 27 and 28, Browning confirmed.

At that time, Coughlin and Vitello reported an overwhelming odor of urine and a littered yard and hearing dogs and cats from inside the kennel.

“On Tuesday, they invited us back, and it was clear they were making an attempt clean the premises, but things were too far along,” Browning said. “The floor was still soaked from just being washed, and the water bowls contained feces to the extent it had the consistency of mud.”

(Buffalo News - Nov 7, 2014)