New York: On probation for Animal Cruelty, Renee Mobley, charged with Animal Cruelty AGAIN

PHELPS, NEW YORK -- A local woman who has a history of trouble when it comes to taking care of animals faces new charges.

Renee Kathleen Mobley, 33, of 29 Banta Street, was recently charged by Ontario County Humane Society officers with 15 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty.

She was also charged by Phelps police with endangering the welfare of a child and second-degree criminal contempt, also misdemeanors.

The charges stem from an investigation that began Aug. 31 involving the humane society, Phelps Police Department, Ontario County Probation Department and Ontario County Child Protective Services.

Officers went to Mobley’s home after being told the living conditions there were unsanitary and uninhabitable, and that numerous cats and two dogs were there.

Authorities said the home was filled with animal feces, urine, garbage and raw sewage. There was also a child living there.

Thirteen cats / kittens and two dogs were seized by the humane society. Their condition is still being evaluated.

 

 

 

 

"My officers that were there found deplorable conditions," explains Chief William McGuigan, Ontario Co. Humane Society. "There were feces, urine and raw sewage throughout the residence."

The chief adds, "The animals were deemed to be in an unfit state. They had not received medical assistance, none of the dogs were licensed, and none the animals were vaccinated against rabies."

Neighbors say this is a quiet, close-knit community. Betty Tillman has lived across the street from that house for 25 years. She's sad this happened to the owner of the home, who used to live there. She says he is a well-respected in the community.

"He's a teacher," he said. "He's a great guy. I think everyone was just trying to be a good neighbor to him and the family."

"Everybody just put up with it for a long time," said Betty Tillman, neighbor. "We're just glad that there's action being taken now."

*  *  *  *  *  *

Police said the animals were unlicensed and not vaccinated. Mobley will answer the charges in Phelps Town Court, and the house has been deemed uninhabitable by the village of Phelps code enforcement office.

Last September, Mobley was convicted in a Phelps Town Court trial of 18 counts of animal cruelty and 18 counts of neglect of an impounded animal.

Those charges followed a March 2016 investigation by humane society officers and sheriff’s deputies, who went to a property on Maryland Road and found a newborn miniature horse dead in a pasture.

They also discovered 11 miniature horses and seven domestic geese without food or water.

"Tarps all over the place. There was metal, siding, wire, a very dangerous and sad situation. There were geese with broken wings," neighbor Tammy Crance added. Neighbors said with time, the condition of the animals regressed.

"They were getting skinny and had runny noses. Renee told me there were birds frozen under the snow that she wasn't able to get to," said Erika Dennis, who is also a neighbor of Mobley's.

A search warrant was executed the next day, and the horses and geese were seized.

 

 

 

Ontario County District Attorney R. Michael Tantillo said following the trial conviction, Mobley was sentenced to three years of probation. Mobley was also told she could not own farm animals for 10 years.

Before the animal cruelty case, in May 2015, Mobley was charged by sheriff’s deputies with second-degree criminal nuisance following several incidents in April and May of that year. Miniature horses she owned ran loose on Maryland Road due to inadequate fencing and barn enclosures, and deputies said the horses ran into the road.

That case was settled when Mobley agreed to repair the fencing.

Tantillo said Mobley will be charged with violation of probation (VOP) for the recent charges.

 

 

She destroyed this rental home; it's been condemned

(FLTimes - September 17, 2017)

Earlier:

• New York: Neighbors say they've been complaining FOR YEARS that Renee Mobley, 31, was neglecting her animals

(May 2017) Indiana: James McDaniel charged with animal cruelty after police say he excessively beat Canadian Goose with wiffle ball bat

INDIANA -- James McDaniel says he did what any parent would do if an aggressive animal was attacking their child. He admits to hitting a Canada goose with a plastic Wiffle ball bat after he says the bird started chasing his 4-year-old son, Ethan.

“A goose actually came from the other side of the field… and proceeded to go full wing span and chase after my son,” said McDaniel.

He says he grabbed the only thing around: his son’s plastic bat.

“So I swing one time, he [the goose] kind of topples over, I grab my son, [go gather our things] and I ran across the street,” said McDaniel.

And that swing, it seems, got feathers flying after a witness called the police.

“It was clearly attacking my son,” said McDaniel, “if anyone else had seen the whole incident, they would have known I was trying to protect my son.”

However, county law enforcement says McDaniel went too far.

EXCERPT FROM THE POLICE REPORT:

"...with James holding an orange bat was after the bird was NOT MOVING AT ALL. Rebecca stated she yelled at him to stop and this is when he finally stopped. I spoke to witness number two, Tiana McCoy. Tiana works with Rebecca and was walking out of the same building Rebecca was when Tiana stated she witnessed James hit the bird three times with an orange bat...

"James kept trying to show me a statute on Google where he has the legal right to hit the birds... he kept saying, 'It's gone from a 5 to a 1.'"

Marion County Animal Services showed up and issued McDaniel a ticket for animal cruelty. The agency was unable to comment on the case because of pending litigation, but according to the incident report, witnesses say they saw McDaniel hit the bird three times [even after the goose stopped coming towards him and was simply standing there]. 

 The report also states the officer did take the goose to a local veterinarian.

McDaniel maintains that he was only protecting his child.

“FOX59 has shown before that these birds are becoming more and more aggressive,” said McDaniel, citing a report regarding aggressive geese and the Department of Natural Resources response to them.

“This is very frustrating because why should I not be allowed to protect my child against wildlife anywhere?”

DNR officials said a person is allowed to protect themselves or others from wildlife, but can only use a reasonable amount of force based on the amount of harm a particular animal could inflict. McDaniel will go before a judge on Monday.

I can see smacking it once with a plastic bat, but repeatedly. And I imagine these were full swings by a grown man. That's excessive, especially since the witness says he continued to beat it even when it was stunned and just standing there looking at him.

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(5NewsOnline - May 12, 2017)

Oklahoma: Police officers saves two baby geese whose family was wiped out on the interstate

OKLAHOMA -- The Oklahoma City Police Department posted on Facebook May 10, 2017

Today, Sgt. Jesse Childers saw a family of geese walking in the middle of Interstate 40 near May Ave.

Sadly, before he could stop traffic, several of the geese were struck by passing vehicles.

Thankfully however, Sgt. Childers was able to rescue two of the goslings.

The baby birds were taken to Animal Welfare to be evaluated.

  

 

Texas: Police searching for the person who thought it would be fun to shoot blow darts at tame geese and kill them at the private Trophy Club golf course

TEXAS -- Police are seeking information about an unknown suspect who used blow darts to shoot and kill a goose on a golf course Friday.

A resident called police Friday evening after finding the white pilgrim goose with dart wounds to the stomach and neck near the fifth hole on the Hogan Golf Course at the Trophy Club Country Club, according to Trophy Club Police Department Lt. Tracey Shields.

The goose was taken to a nearby animal hospital, where it died, Shields said.

The darts were estimated to be about 5 inches long.

Police were trying to determine Tuesday whether the state considers the species to be threatened or protected, in which case the likely charge would be animal cruelty.

According to the website Beauty of Birds, the Pilgrim Goose is a domesticated species that is considered endangered, but I don't think there are any federal laws protecting them like endangered species that are actual wildlife.

If not, police may pursue a different charge, such as a violation of a city ordinance that prohibits shooting projectiles, Shields said.

Police are seeking additional information about the incident. If you know anything about it, call 682-831-4650.

(Star Telegram - April 17, 2017)

Highland teen accused of torturing and killing goose says he was 'hungry'

NEW YORK -- Michael Sebastian Vargas, one of two Highland teenagers accused of torturing and killing a wild goose, said he and Jarett Gonzalez were hungry, with no place to stay and no money to buy a meal.

“We didn’t want to be cruel to it (the goose),” Vargas said. “All we wanted to do was get something to eat.”

Vargas, 18, and Gonzalez, 16, were charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty on Saturday, according to Town of Lloyd police.

"They are accused of stoning the (goose) with rocks, then beating it with a wooden plank, stepping on it and cutting its head off," said Lt. James Janso via email.

Vargas, a recent Highland High School graduate, said he doesn’t live with his parents and had been staying with friends for the past month, Gonzalez among them. But Gonzalez “got kicked out” of his home, too, Vargas said.

The teens borrowed some fishing poles from a friend and went to a pond behind a small business plaza on Route 299.

“We used all the bait … we were fishing all day and only caught two small sunfish,” Vargas said.
As the two were walking away from the pond, “trying to find a place to sleep somewhere in the woods, we saw a flock of geese,” Vargas said. “We were going to try to kill it and cook it for food.”

Vargas grabbed a rock and threw it at the goose, which “stunned it,” he said, and Gonzalez threw a stick at it, but missed.

At that point, Gonzalez “stood on” the goose to hold it down, and Vargas cut its head off with a pocket knife, Vargas said. “We were taking it back to where we were going to cook it … with the fish” when police showed up, following up on a complaint from a business owner.

The teens “didn’t have” anything else they could use to kill the goose, Vargas said. “I would have loved to kill it way more humanely. We didn’t want to be cruel to it.”

Vargas said neither teen has a criminal record.

Before Vargas shared his side of the story, the Journal spoke with Kim McNamee, the senior humane law enforcement officer at the Dutchess County SPCA.

To charge an individual with felony animal cruelty in New York, "you need to be able to prove that (the act was) intended to cause extreme physical pain; or is done or carried out in an especially depraved or sadistic manner,” McNamee said. Proving such an allegation can be difficult.

But in general, "I don't favor how reserved people are with charging" felony animal cruelty, McNamee said,

Vargas and Gonzalez were released on appearance tickets and are due in the Town of Lloyd Court Aug. 6. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police, which assisted Lloyd police, also issued tickets to the teens.

Vargas said they have not secured legal counsel for their upcoming court date.

(Poughkeepsie Journal - July 27, 2015)

Earlier:

• Police: Highland teens tortured and killed wild goose

Suspected goose-crash driver denies involvement

The man suspected of running through a gaggle of geese on Gratiot Avenue and killing several denies he struck the creatures, police said Wednesday.

Investigators say the 49-year-old Warren man is from India and does not speak English very well, so his son served as a translator when police conducted two interviews with him.

“Through his son, he said he doesn’t know anything about hitting geese while he was driving,” said Clinton Township Detective Capt. Richard Maeirle.

The geese were crossing Gratiot Avenue at Wellington Crescent on July 30 when the incident occurred.

(McComb Daily - Aug 5, 2015)

Police: Highland teens tortured and killed wild goose

NEW YORK -- Two Highland teenagers tortured and killed a wild goose, according to Town of Lloyd police.

Michael Vargas, 18, and Jarett Gonzalez, 16, were charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty on Saturday.

"They are accused of stoning the (goose) with rocks, then beating it with a wooden plank, stepping on it and cutting its head off," said Lt. James Janso via email.

Police say the two allegedly tortured and killed the goose behind a Highland-based business on Route 299.

They were released on appearance tickets and are due in the Town of Lloyd Court on Aug. 6. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police, which assisted Lloyd police, also issued tickets to the teens.
(Poughkeepsie Journal - July 27, 2015)

Authorities confiscate hundreds of animals near Lawtell

LOUISIANA --From the outside, the trailer that serves as Donald James LaFluer’s home in a rural area about three miles south of Lawtell offers an attractive appearance.

Surrounded by flowering trees, it is almost invisible from the road. Closer to the house, there are scores of pots filled with flowers and tropical plants, interspersed with concrete statues.

 

 

But with every step closer, the smell overwhelms the outward appearance of beauty.

On Friday, St. Landry Parish deputies charged LaFleur, 61, of 2572 Louisiana 752, Lawtell, with animal cruelty after officials located hundreds of animals, primarily birds, living in terrible conditions.

(Photo: Freddie Herpin/Gannett Louisiana)

“The conditions are deplorable,” said Brooks Davis, with St. Landry Parish Animal Control, as she and dozens of officers with the parish shelter, the sheriff’s office, Fire District III and other agencies hauled out cage after cage.

Each was filled to the brim with chickens, ducks and geese, as well as exotic birds such as peacocks, parrots, grouse, parakeets and even pheasants.

Most of the workers wore surgical masks because of the overwhelming stench.

“It was gross. It was not good for the animals, but I don’t know how he could stand it himself,” Davis said. She compared the situation in the house to that of a hoarder, with narrow walkways allowing passage through piles of trash and waste.

Davis said about 20 dogs shared the trailer with LaFleur. She said it appeared that nobody had cleaned the animal waste in a long time.

“The floor was like a thick mat of papier-maché,” she said, adding it appeared that LaFleur had spread paper on the floor to catch the animal waste.

But it seemed to her that as each layer had become soaked and saturated, LaFleur would simply add another layer of paper to the top of the pile.

The animal control officer’s main concern was with the birds of all varieties and sizes.

“Those chickens were eating each other. That’s how crowded they were,” said Davis.

She estimated that crews had removed at least 1,000 birds from the property “if you count all the little ones. A lot of chickens have just hatched.”

Parish President Bill Fontenot, who was assisting with the roundup, said he wasn’t sure about that.

“But hundreds for sure,” he said.

Fontenot said selling birds is LaFleur’s business. But the man’s relatives told Fontenot not many were selling, so their numbers just kept increasing.

As soon as officers arrived Friday morning to serve a warrant, Fontenot said LaFleur barricaded himself in the house, but deputies eventually convinced him to come out.

“He has been charged with animal cruelty, but he doesn’t see it as that,” said Fontenot.

Donald LaFleur

 He said LaFleur didn’t understand what all the commotion was about.

[It doesn't matter if he agrees with the law or if he 'doesn't understand' why there are laws to protect animals. It's not a matter of him not comprehending the law. It's a matter of him not agreeing with the laws that protect animals and he refuses to abide by them.]

Although authorities have booked LaFleur into the parish jail, Fontenot said a more appropriate response may be to help him get psychiatric help.

This is not LaFleur’s first animal cruelty charge. He has been arrested multiple times in the past for his alleged treatment of exotic birds and dogs.

In all cases, he was raising the animals for sale.

(Monroe News Star - Aug 17, 2014)

Roving dogs maul miniature donkeys near Baytown middle school

TEXAS -- A Baytown woman is vocalizing a lot of concern after roving dogs mauled two miniature donkeys on her ten acre property.

It happened this past Monday outside her home on Sjolander Road.

 

Suzanne Black saw at least three black dogs sinking their teeth into the two donkeys. She believes the dogs would have killed the donkeys if she hadn’t brought out her shotgun and reacted quickly.

“When I started banging the bucket, the dogs took a turn to me, took a short run at me, and then I fired the shotgun and they ran,” said Suzanne Black. “It’s horrible, such a vicious attack. It’s senseless.”

Black says several of her geese have recently turned up dead. She believes these same dogs are responsible.

She’s especially worried because Gentry Middle School is located right next door.

“Watch your kids. You have to watch your kids in this area,” said Black.

Black’s neighbor is anxious as well.

She says the attack happened around the same time that Gentry High students are playing sports outdoors.

“If a dog will run at a donkey and try to bring a donkey down, these children are out here playing, what would be the difference,” said neighbor Cheryl Fayle Ramquist. “If a child is running, they will go after them.”

Neighbors believe the dogs belong to somebody because the animals had spiked collars on.

According to Black, animal control responded to her home three days after the mauling and gave her traps.

(KHOU - April 4, 2014)

Ludlow man charged with 36 counts of animal cruelty after starving, neglected animals allegedly found on his property

MASSACHUSETTS -- A 43-year-old Ludlow man is facing multiple counts of animal cruelty after officials on Friday allegedly found 35 animals on his Sroka Lane property in varying stages of starvation, neglect and mistreatment.

 

 

 

The Law Enforcement Department of MSPCA-Angell filed a total of 36 counts of felony animal cruelty against Dean Manuel, said Rob Halpin, MSCPA director of Communications.

Manuel also faces two counts of assault and battery on a police officer and a single count of resisting arrest after he struggled with MSPCA officials and Ludlow police when they served him a search warrant for the property.

Manuel denied the charges at his arraignment Monday in Palmer District Court, according to the Hampden District Attorney’s Office.

He was ordered held without the right to bail pending a hearing planned for Wednesday to determine if he is competent to stand trial, officials said.

Halpin said the 35 animals are now under the care of veterinarians with the MSPCA at its Nevins Farm in Methuen and at the Animal Rescue League of Boston’s facility in Dedham.

Officials found four donkeys, eight ponies, six pigs, four goats, four alpacas, four ducks, two sheep, and a goose, emu and rabbit at the property.

“We are still evaluating all of the animals in our care to determine the full extent of their health issues, and we’ll treat them accordingly,” Halpin said.

Most were underweight, including one of the ponies that officials described as severely emaciated. It is now undergoing a monitored re-feeding program. Some of the other ponies had overgrown hooves.
One of the alpacas was so weak from hunger that it was unable to stand on its own, Halpin said. It was sent to the Tufts Veterinary Center in Grafton for critical care, he said.

Halpin said the MSPCA has set up a donation page through its website to offset the cost of veterinary care for the animals. The address is www.mspca.org/ludlowanimals.

Manuel had previously been charged with 10 counts of animal cruelty after a Dec. 9 inspection of the property on Sroka Lane showed the ponies and donkeys living in a pen that provided no shelter from the elements, and there was no access to food and water, MSPCA officials said. The animals at that time were found to be wet and covered with snow.

He was given until Dec. 17 to install a proper shelter, but when that deadline passed without improvements, the charges were filed against him. He denied the charges at his Dec. 23 arraignment and the case was continued until March 5.

MSPCA officer Christine Allenberg, who conducted the Dec. 9 inspection, said, “Our primary concern now is the health and well-being of these animals, and we’ll do everything we can to help them regain their health.” At the same time, she said, they will “vigorously pursue justice” against Manuel in court, as they do in every case of reported animal cruelty.

Manuel has had animals at the Sroka Lane site since October. It had been reported previously that he was interested in creating a petting zoo.

(MassLive - February 10, 2014)

Crestview woman charged with animal abuse for kicking geese

FLORIDA -- An online video of a woman kicking geese in the face has led to a police investigation.

The video was shot at Twin Hills Park in Crestview.

Facebook tips helped police identify the woman, though they haven't released her name.

The video is getting a huge reaction.

Laura Hussey "It's not hard to make a friend here at Twin Hills Park in Crestview. For some of us, feeding the ducks and the geese is a great memory that goes all the way back to childhood. If that's your experience, it makes the video you're about to see a little hard to understand"

A woman dances like a boxer in front of three geese, then delivers a savage kick.

Mary Gardner hadn't seen the video on Facebook.

Her reaction explains why it got hundreds of shares.

Gardner says, "Oh!"

For Brian Bishop, the worst part is the sound of a child's laughter in the background.

Bishop says, "The parents are teaching the kid it's OK to go abuse the animals, dogs, ducks, whatever it may be that's OK and it's a funny thing to do. I'm not cool with that"

The woman's companion, who shot the video, seems to be egging her on.

The audio is faint, but she can be heard antagonizing the ducks, saying bring it. step on my land. I'll beat you so hard you don't even know.

Crestview native Morris Winston says what he sees in the video is crazy.   

Winston says, "There are animal rights cruelty laws, and that's pretty much violations"

The director of the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society says the actions in the video could be grounds for felony animal cruelty charges.

Wednesday afternoon, police were trying to find and interview the woman, whose name hasn't been released.

Woman in video "Did you get me kicking? I have now kicked all three of these geese in the face"

Laura Hussey "The parks director says incidents of people mistreating the animals here at Twin Hills Park are very rare."

(WEAR-Nov 13, 2013)