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)

United Kingdom: Tiny hedgehog died as a result of numerous scientific 'researchers' repeatedly weighing down his little body with crap

UNITED KINGDOM -- Animal welfare organisations have criticized the treatment of hedgehogs in a research study after one was found looking like "a bad joke".

Russet the hedgehog, who later died, had 26 plastic tags attached to his spines and a radio tracker on his back.

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society has defended the Nottingham Trent University study, which it part-funded.

But three other animal welfare organisations have raised concerns.

Lynda Britchford from Oxton Wild Hedgehog Rehab, which cared for Russet after he was found, said: "Having been presented with the hog, to be honest it looked like someone's idea of a bad joke.

"Ultimately, we feel that this places hogs at a disadvantage and risk, and don't agree with it."

Russet was dehydrated, underweight, had mange, severe colitis, broken toes on one foot and intestinal fluke, and died despite attempts to treat him.

Hedgehogs do not have distinctive markings like other animals so some researchers identify them by heat-shrinking or gluing plastic to their spines. This method has been used since 2004 and has been likened to adding false finger nails or hair extensions to humans.

Radio-tracking of hedgehogs began in the 1970s. Trackers have become smaller over time, and international guidelines stipulate they weigh a maximum of 5% of the animal's weight.

Caroline Gould from Vale Wildlife Hospital said: "Vale is totally against studies such as this. The tracker is far too big and will almost certainly cause problems, get entangled or prevent the hedgehog from getting through or under hedges, gates, fences and sheds. It should not be legal to use these on hedgehogs."

He was found in this garden

The RSPCA has used plastic tags and radio transmitters itself but said it has "some concerns" about the image of Russet. "We feel that the number of colored tags, and the fact that they are longer than the spines they are attached to, may present problems, although we have no evidence for this," it said in a statement.

Lynda Britchford from Oxton Wild Hedgehog Rehab said the placement of the trackers "would impact upon males trying to mate with females who had them attached".

She also said the attachments would impede a hedgehog's ability to squeeze into small gaps and make them less camouflaged.

"Sticking 30 brightly colored long reflective tubes on them makes them stick out like a sore thumb - particularly to unscrupulous kids or adults, and potentially to predators," she said.


Hugh Warwick from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, which part-funded the study, defended what they did to this poor little guy: "Over 30 years of work there is no evidence that our research interferes with the well-being of hedgehogs at all.

"The heat-shrink plastic tags that are now the standard marking technique do not require plastic to be melted onto the spines and cause the hedgehog no trouble at all. It is not far off humans getting hair-extensions."

Nottingham Trent University gave a ridiculous statement, saying: "The animal is completely unhindered and able to go about its activities - such as feeding and breeding - in the usual way. Research is crucial to furthering our understanding of the threats hedgehogs face and to develop appropriate responses to those."

Could you go about your 'daily business' with all this crap glued to you??

The aim of the study was to gather information on the distribution and abundance of hedgehogs in Southwell, Nottinghamshire.

The woman who found Russet said the transmitter was twisted around him.

'Couldn't curl up'
"He looked distressed and I think he was a bit wobbly," she said.

"We thought either he'd been rolling in wire and got it stuck to him or somebody had thought it was funny to put Christmas tree lights or something around him.

"When my husband went to get him to pick him up he couldn't curl up, he couldn't curl and protect himself, so that upset us because we thought, there's something wrong there."

(BBC - Sept 16, 2016)

Jenna Baitler Arrested for Cruelty to Animals; Animals Seized

WEST VIRGINIA -- Washington County Deputies arrested a Marietta woman on animal cruelty charges Wednesday.

20-year-old Jenna Baitler is charged with failure to register a dog and two counts of cruelty to animals.

The Sheriff's Office calls Baitler's home deplorable. They found trash, animal feces and hay throughout the home.

Officials say two of the dogs were starving and their bones showing. In an effort to get water, officials tell WTAP, a 10-month-old Mastiff bit a faucet and flooded the apartment.

A cat also lacked nutrition. Deputies say the apartment did not have cat food or a clean litter box.

Additionally, a hedgehog had to be euthanized.

The two dogs and cat were taken to the Humane Society of the Ohio Valley.

(WTAP - Aug 28, 2015)

"It's still alive, go on do it again": Teens set fire to defenseless hedgehog

UNITED KINGDOM -- A hedgehog suffered a slow and almost certain painful death after being deliberately tortured by a group of youths in Cornwall, a vet has said.

It was rescued by a member of the public behind Higher Fore Street, Redruth, on Wednesday evening.

Veterinary surgeon Sharon Stevens said the otherwise healthy young adult animal had been sprayed with an aerosol and set alight.

"We see enough horrible things, but this is simply inexcusable," she said.

The animal died moments before arriving at the emergency veterinary treatment center, CVets.

The vet said the woman who rescued the hedgehog heard and witnessed the "sustained" attack on the defenseless creature, but was too scared to confront the youths on her own.

"She heard the boys shouting 'it's still alive, go on do it again' and they knew what they were doing," Ms. Stevens told BBC News.

"If it had been a cat, it could have fought back, but all a defenseless hedgehog can do is curl up in a ball.

"It was in the wrong place at the wrong time and has suffered this horrible attack. All its spines were burned and it would have suffered badly."

The vet said she wanted to speak out in the hope of preventing this type of horrific attack happening again. I just hope those boys feel sorry and ashamed of what they've done," she added.

The incident has been reported to the RSPCA and Devon and Cornwall Police.

(BBC - Aug 15, 2015)

Bollinger Co man, Ronald Woodfin, arrested for animal abuse

MISSOURI -- Animal abuse charges are being pursued against a former Marble Hill resident. 

Bollinger County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested Ronald Woodfin this week and charged him with two counts of misdemeanor animal abuse and one count of misdemeanor pursuing/taking/killing/possessing or disposing of wild life illegally. 



Ronald Woodfin

On the 14th, Deputies accompanied the Humane Society of Missouri to Woodfin’s residence on County Road 831. 

Two dead dogs as well as a momma dog and three puppies were found outside. 

A squirrel was found in a cage in a bedroom and a hedgehog in an aquarium on top of the squirrel’s cage. 

Woodfin told police he was relocating to Florida and had enlisted the help of two women to care for and find homes for the animals. 

A week after finding the animals, the necropsy revealed the two died of exposure and lack of nutrition.

(960KZIM - Jan 29, 2015)

Man's shock after putting out cardboard box fire then finding the body of a charred hedgehog inside that had been burnt alive

SWITZERLAND -- A man has spoken of his disgust at finding the charred body of a hedgehog that had been burned alive in its cardboard box nest.

Swiss man Peter Specker discovered the badly burned hedgehog after using a bottle of mineral water to put out a fire on a cardboard box burning at the side of the road in the Swiss city of Zurich.

Specker, 58, had been on his way to work in his allotment when he spotted the smouldering cardboard box that was almost completely burnt, sitting on a manhole cover.

Worried that the fire might spread, he had used a bottle of mineral water which he had in his rucksack to put out the blaze, and only then did he realise that there was a partially burnt corpse of a hedgehog inside the box

He said: ‘The poor animal had been killed by the fire and smoke, how sick someone must be to get rid of an animal in this way.’

He called police, who took photographs of the scene and then took the badly burnt box and the body of the dead hedgehog away to see if they could work out how it came to be at the side of the road and who might have started the fire.

Specker added: ‘I have had my allotment here since 1981 and I've never seen anything like this. It was an incredibly cruel thing to do.

'The hedgehog had a sort of a nest in the box made out of old newspapers and that meant it had burnt quickly.’

(Daily Mail - Feb 26, 2014)

Young Eastbourne thugs used terrified hedgehog as a football

UNITED KINGDOM -- Horrified locals called animal rescuers after witnessing youngsters kicking around a baby hedgehog like a football.Rescuer were horrified to be called out to a hedgehog which had been rescued by local residents after being used as football by local youths in the children’s playground at Victoria Gardens on Monday evening (September 2).

Rescuer Tony Neads, from East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (WRAS), picked up the injured hedgehog from Victoria Gardens.

How could anyone hurt something this cute?
(This is not the hedgehog from the story.)

“The poor little girl was very frightened and had a number of broken and bent prickles over her body as a result of being kicked, so I rushed the hedgehog up to our Casualty Centre for further assessment,” said Tony.

Trevor Weeks MBE, manager of WRAS’s Casualty Care Centre, said, “We have named her Victoria and she has been medicated and bedded down at our centre and is going to be x-rayed by one of our vets tomorrow (Wednesdsay) as a precaution.

“We think she has been very lucky and only suffered severe bruising.”

Victoria is thought to be about five-six weeks old and she weighs about 250g.

“At this age the youngsters bones are still quite rubbery so we are hoping that Victoria has had a lucky escape, the X-ray will tell us more,” added Trevor.

“WRAS is shocked and appalled by the incident and has informed Sussex Police and hopes that they will be investigating the incident further.”

Anyone who witnessed the event is asked to contact Sussex Police and quoting reference 827 of 3rd September 2013.

(Eastbourne Herald - Sept 3 2013)