Oregon: Michael Lynch, 76, accused of poisoning neighbor’s dogs faces 64-count indictment

OREGON -- A northeast Portland man accused of poisoning his neighbor’s dogs with a ricin-like toxin is now facing charges including aggravated animal abuse and attempted aggravated animal abuse.

A grand jury issued a 64-count indictment against 76-year-old Michael Joseph Lynch on Monday.

Lynch was initially arrested in May.

Schmidtke said he came home one day in March 2016 to a “vile” message on his answering machine.

“[Lynch] said that he was not going to tolerate this and that I would lose these dogs and he would see to it,” Schmidtke said. 

"I was having a cup of coffee on my patio and I saw him throw poisoned meat into my yard four different times.”

Schmidtke said his dogs, named Bandit and Snowflake were vomiting, unable to move and seriously ill. Luckily, they both survived.

 

 

Court documents state toxins were found in the dogs’ stomachs by a veterinarian. Court documents also stated what deputies discovered in Lynch’s home.

Investigators wrote that they found castor seeds, from which ricin can be derived, along with wrapped meat in a green liquid, a jar marked “botulism poison” and lists of poisons along with calendars noting “use slingshot to shoot meat over bushes,” the dates the dogs were barking and the dates Lynch “threw meat over the bushes.”

Deputies said when they arrived with a search warrant, Lynch told them he was armed and reached for his waistband. Deputies recovered a gun that was concealed in Lynch’s waistband and said he did not have a concealed weapons permit.

When contacted by FOX 12 in May, Lynch said, “I didn’t do anything to his dogs.”

Monday’s indictment alleges Lynch intentionally attempted to “maliciously kill” and “torture” the dogs.

Along with the animal abuse charges, Lynch was also indicted on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a loaded firearm in public and recklessly endangering another person.

An arraignment date on the new charges was not immediately scheduled.

 

 

ARREST INFO:
Full Name: Michael Joseph Lynch
Gender: Male
Race: White
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 230 lbs
Hair Color: Gray
Eye Color: Brown
Arrest Age: 76
Date: 07/17/2017
Time: 1:07 PM
Charges:
#1 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#2 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#3 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#4 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#5 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#6 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#7 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#8 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#9 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#10 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#11 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#12 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#13 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#14 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#15 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#16 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#17 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#18 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#19 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#20 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#21 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#22 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#23 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#24 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#25 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#26 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#27 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#28 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#29 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#30 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#31 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#32 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#33 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#34 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#35 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#36 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#37 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#38 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#39 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#40 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#41 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#42 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#43 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#44 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#45 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#46 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#47 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#48 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#49 ANIMAL ABUSE II
#50 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#51 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#52 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#53 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#54 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#55 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#56 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#57 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#58 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#59 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#60 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#61 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#62 UNLAWFUL POSSESSION FIREARM
#63 UNLAWFUL POSSESSION FIREARM

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

 

(KPTV - July 11, 2017)

Earlier:

• Oregon: Michael Lynch, 76, accused of poisoning neighbor’s dogs with deadly ricin-like toxin

California: Two dogs die after swimming in San Francisco pond that is infested with toxic algae

CALIFORNIA -- Two dogs died in Napa County, California, this week after swimming in murky algae-infested water.

Local officials issued a county-wide warning on Friday, and closed at least two bodies of water in the area due to an out break of toxic algae, reported SFGate.

The dogs swam and likely drank the water in a pond off Huichica Creek, according to officials.

It was the second reported outbreak of dangerous algae in the county in one week, as Oakland's Lake Temescal was closed due to a similar outbreak.

Friday's warning was issued by the county's board of supervisors, and urges swimmers and others to avoid ponds, rivers and streams in the area - as they could be contaminated with the toxic blue-green algae.

There are also signs posted by the bodies of water warning of the danger.

If humans swallow the infected water, the algae poisoning can lead to liver, kidney and nervous system damage. Anyone who is exposed to the toxins are told to acquire immediate medical attention.

The algae can look blue-green, white or brown, and are caused by still or sitting water with an abundance of nutrients, officials said to SFGate.

Camping filters, purification tablets and boiling temperatures do not make the water safe.

(Daily Mail - July 1, 2017)

Oregon: Michael Lynch, 76, accused of poisoning neighbor’s dogs with deadly ricin-like toxin

OREGON -- A Northeast Portland man is facing several animal abuse charges, accused of poisoning his neighbor’s dogs with a ricin-like toxin.

Richard Schmidtke said his two dogs survived - but barely.

Michael Lynch, 76, made his first appearance Thursday morning on charges of first-degree attempted aggravated animal abuse, two counts of first-degree attempted animal abuse, second-degree animal abuse and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Lynch told Fox 12 by phone Thursday afternoon he was innocent.

But investigators said in court records that Lynch was frustrated over Schmidtke’s barking dogs and called animal control a number of times.

When Animal Control officers failed to find Schmidtke's dogs in violation of the noise ordinance, records show Lynch warned them he would “handle it on his own.”

Schmidtke said he came home one day in March 2016 to a “vile” message on his answering machine.

“[Lynch] said that he was not going to tolerate this and that I would lose these dogs and he would see to it,” Schmidtke said. 

"I was having a cup of coffee on my patio and I saw him throw poisoned meat into my yard four different times.”

Schmidtke said his dogs were vomiting, unable to move and seriously ill.

In court records, the prosecuting district attorney described reports from veterinarians who tested the dogs’ stomach contents and the pieces of meat and wrote they “found a principal component of castor oil and ricinine and [the veterinarian] explains that castor oil acts as a laxative but can be poisonous in large amounts and ingestion of ricinine can cause death and her report also notes that there may be ricin which can kill adult humans in very small quantities.”

Court records also show that when deputies arrived to serve a search warrant at Lynch’s home, Lynch approached them, admitted he was armed and “reached for his waistband.”

Deputies recovered a gun that had been concealed in his waistband but noted Lynch did not have a concealed weapons permit.

Once inside his home, investigators wrote that they found:

• castor seeds, from which ricin can be derived
• wrapped meat in a green liquid
• a jar marked “botulism poison”
• lists of poisons
• calendars noting “use slingshot to shoot meat over bushes,” the dates the dogs were barking and the dates Lynch “threw meat over the bushes.”

 

“I think the man is [mentally] sick,” Schmidtke said. “That’s my guess.”

Schmidtke is now filing a civil suit against his neighbor as well, seeking $400,000 in damages.

Lynch bailed out of jail and is back home pending his court case.

He told Fox 12 by phone "I didn't do anything to his dogs," and when asked about the ricin-like toxin found in the dog's stomach, he claimed, "I don't know nothing about that."

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(KPTV -May 11, 2017)

Italy: Owner says his two German Shepherds were poisoned by his neighbor. One dog has died, the other is clinging to life.

ITALY -- Mario Boccia posted on Facebook February 19, 2017

Our neighbor poisoned our two dogs, Aron and Stefy, with a chicken. Aron is dead and Stefy is clinging on to life at the vet.

Even in 2017, there are still people as nasty as this.

New Jersey: Judge denies motion to dismiss bird-killing indictment against ex-councilman Carlos Luaces

NEW JERSEY -- Citing that he felt enough evidence was presented to a Passaic County grand jury to secure an indictment, a judge on Thursday declined to dismiss the indictment against a former Byram councilman charged with animal cruelty.

Carlos Luaces is charged with third-degree animal cruelty and is accused of killing a baby bird by spraying it and its nest with pesticides while serving as the head of the West Milford Department of Public Works.

The charges are based on interviews with a half-dozen public works employees, who said Luaces first ordered them to destroy the nest by spraying it with pesticide. 

The employees refused, and on July 16, Luaces allegedly took a spray can filled with pesticide and doused the nest, killing the baby chicks and destroying another egg, Purcell said.

“This was the second family of birds that had lived in the nest, and the employees had grown attached to it,” Purcell said. “They were feeding the birds strawberries and other things.”

Gary Kraemer, Luaces' attorney, argued that the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office had not presented sufficient evidence to the grand jury and because of that, the indictment should be dismissed.

"There has to be some evidence that the bird was poisoned," Kraemer said. "It was presented in a way that leads the grand jury to infer that it (the herbicide spray) was poisonous to the bird."

Kraemer said the weed killer Luaces is alleged to have used was non-toxic for birds and other animals.

Assistant Prosecutor Peter Roby countered that while the herbicide was found to be safe on full-grown birds, the manufacturer's safety data sheet does not say anything about it being safe for just hatched birds or bird eggs.

Continuing his point that there is no definitive proof that the bird was poisoned, Kraemer said that an autopsy or a necropsy of the bird was never conducted and that when witnesses allegedly saw the bird struggling to live in the nest, it could have been caused by other factors.

"A hawk could have flown down and nicked the bird, injuring it and that's what they saw," Kraemer said.

Roby contended that presenting the grand jury with evidence that witnesses observed Luaces putting down the chemical sprayer in the DPW shop combined with comments he made to witnesses about a bird growing three heads because it got sprayed with the chemicals and that the birds were cute but "had to go," was sufficient to obtain an indictment.

Judge Scott Bennion agreed saying the threshold for a judge to dismiss an indictment is very high and that he felt the prosecution had presented enough evidence to the grand jury.

Bennion said whether the spray Luaces allegedly used was lethal to birds would have to be argued before a jury at a trial and it was not for him or a grand jury to decide.

According to Bennion -- who outlined the facts in the case -- Luaces is alleged to have sprayed weed killer around the West Milford Department of Public Works yard on July 16, 2015, and on a robin's nest located behind a garage, which at the time of the spraying contained three unhatched eggs and one baby bird.

On July 17, 2015, DPW workers allegedly noticed a dead bird in the nest along with the three unhatched eggs and then relocated the nest with the eggs and alleged dead bird to a protected area of the DPW yard, the motion says.

Three weeks later, on Aug. 5, 2015, two DPW employees complained of the incident to police and when police went to investigate found the nest, but not eggs, birds or mother robin.

Luaces, of Byram, served on the Byram Township Council from January 2012 until his resignation in February 2014.

In a statement to the New Jersey Herald regarding his resignation, he said he was doing so because he was "embarking on a new career endeavor" that did not leave him time to dedicate himself to the people of Byram.

Though originally just suspended, Luaces was terminated from his West Milford position in August 2015.

Following the judge's decision, Kraemer said he and Luaces were disappointed in the outcome as they still felt the evidence presented did not prove Luaces killed a bird.

"There is still not one iota of evidence that the spray is harmful to birds," Kraemer said.

Roby declined to comment.

Luaces will return to court on Feb. 13 for a pre-trial conference.

(New Jersey Herald - Jan 20, 2017)

Earlier:

• Is this the most hated man in New Jersey right now? Carlos Luaces allegedly killed baby birds that co-workers had become attached to, with bug spray
• Former West Milford DPW, Carlos Luaces, charged with poisoning bird's nest may be offered plea bargain

Virginia: Brandon Gillie wanted for torturing, mutilating, killing puppies

VIRGINIA -- It was last spring when Petersburg Police were called to Trailer 32 at the Shady Grove mobile home park on North Steadman Road.

They found a gruesome scene where three puppies had been mutilated, tortured and killed.

  

 

They are now reaching out to the public in an attempt to put the man they say is responsible, Brandon Gillie, 26, behind bars.

"[Gillie and his girlfriend] had just gotten the puppies a few weeks prior," said Detective Thomas Ewers with the Petersburg Police Department.

“He forced them to swallow several items, including firecrackers and poison,” Detective Ewers said.

But the torture didn’t stop there, police say. While the puppies were still alive, Gillie dismembered and mutilated the dogs. It all happened in the back yard of a now abandoned trailer.

“He cut their bodies open, and when he cut their bodies open, he also tried to glue it back together,” Ewers said. “He put glue over the dogs’ faces, including their muzzle, I guess in an attempt keep the dogs from being loud or trying to suffocate them.”

"It was a process, we're not talking about a couple minutes of torturing, we're talking about hours and hours of him methodically torturing and killing these animals," said Ewers.

Brandon's girlfriend discovered what he had done and called the police to report it. However, she is no longer cooperating with authorities, police said, and Gillie remains on the run.

“This is probably the worse case I’ve seen or heard of since I’ve been a detective,” Detective Ewers said.

Gillie’s next door neighbor recalls hearing Gillie sitting outside talking during the night in question, but she had no idea what he was actually doing.

NECROPSY RESULTS

Court documents obtained by CBS 6 show the dogs had an adhesive material on their muzzles and bodies.

Lab results revealed the dog's stomachs contained both over the counter and prescription medications, as well as insecticide.

Conover said that what happened to the puppies was done over a period of time.

"They were tortured, there was evidence of burning," she added.

The necropsy also revealed that two of the puppies had full firecrackers in their stomach.

HELP FIND BRANDON GILLIE

Police say they need the public’s help catching Gillie before he has the chance to do something like this again.

“It could lead to other crimes that could be worse. It could be to other animals, it could be to a person – you just never know, and it’s very concerning,” Ewers said.

Gillie has a large network of family and friends spread out around Chesterfield and Henrico.

"He still could be in the Tri-Cities area, most likely he's up in the Hanover and Ashland area," said Ewers.

Police are hoping someone has information that will help get Brandon Gillie off the streets.

"To get him help and make sure that he is okay and nothing like this happens to any animal or person."

Places Gillie has lived:
Prince George, Virginia
Petersburg, Virginia
Henrico, Virginia
Chester, Virginia
Hopewell, Virginia

Says he works at powerplants "all over the state"

If you know where Brandon Gillie is, call Petersburg Police at 804-732-4222 or Crime Solvers at 804-861-1212.

  

 

  

PREVIOUS ARREST INFO:

Name: Brandon Michael Gillie
Detention Date: April 19th, 2013
Location:
Hanover County, VA
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 150 Lbs
Race: White
Charges:
#1 136787 WPN5212M1 FIREARM VIOLATION AFTER INVOLUNTARY COMMITMENT
#2 136788 WPN5281F5 FALSE STATEMENT ON FIREARM CONSENT FORM

Full Name: Brandon Michael Gillie
Arrest date: October 14th, 2013
Location: Henrico County, VA
Arrest Age: 23
Charges: 2111 - Dui-Motor Vehicle-Wt Accident
18.2-266 - Dwi: 1St Offense

Full Name: Brandon Michael Gillie
Date of Birth: 08/xx/xxxx
Race: White
Address:
City: Petersburg
State: VA
Zip Code: 23803
Charging County: Prince George County, Virginia
Case Number: GT16003212-00
Statute: 46.2-817B
Charge Date: 06/01/2016
Charge: Elude/Disregard Police Felony

(WNCN - Jan 27, 2017)

Texas: Odessa Regional Hospital Chief of Surgery, Dr. Robert Lynch, 54, charged in connection to poisoning of family's dogs

TEXAS -- An Odessa doctor has been charged in connection to a family's dogs being poisoned.

Robert Kevin Lynch, 54, has been charged with three counts of Animal Cruelty, a State Jail Felony.

On December 20th, Odessa Police officers responded to a home on Casa Loma Driver for a call of possible animal cruelty. The complainant told police that a person had given their Great Pyrenees dog raw meat mixed with dog food, raisins, and a white substance.

On December 26th, the complainant called police again stating that a person had given their other dogs, a Great Pyrenees-German Shepherd mix and Yorkie-Chihuahua mix meat mixed with dog food, raisins, and a white substance.

On December 26th the Great Pyrenees-German Shepherd passed away, and a toxicology report showed that the dog had toxins in its system.

On December 29th, the Great Pyrenees passed away, and a toxicology report showed that the dog had toxins in its system.

Their German Shepherd - Great Pyrenees mix died

The Chihuahua-Yorkie mix had suffered injures as a result of ingesting the toxins as well, according to OPD.

Surveillance footage identified the person as Lynch, according to OPD.

On January 9th, detectives executed a search warrant and seized antifreeze, Critter Ridder, and other items from his home. According to OPD, Lynch voluntarily confessed to poisoning the dogs using the raw meat.

OPD Detectives then obtained a warrant for Lynch who was taken into custody.

 

 

Original Story:

An Odessa family is outraged after they say their neighbor intentionally killed two of their dogs with poison.

Now police are investigating and felony charges could be coming very soon after it was all caught on camera.

But until an arrest has been made, the family has asked that we keep their identities anonymous.

They tell me their neighbor ended up poisoning their dogs after complaining that they barked too much.

“That was a bad day,” said Veterinarian Dr. Andrew Schwarz.

It’s a case that Dr. Schwarz says will stick with him forever.

“It look like somebody had put in these specific things that are all bad for dogs and had given it to them,” said Dr. Schwarz.

On December 19th one of Schwarz’s clients brought in their two dogs, one year olds Yuki and Brownie, after they feared they had been poisoned.

The dogs’ owners found a ball of raw meat in their back yard stuffed with what Dr. Schwarz believes may have been antifreeze, some sort of aspirin, grapes and rat poison.

 

Not knowing where the ball of meat came from, Yuki and Brownie’s owners asked their neighbor for their surveillance footage to see who might have placed it there.

That's when they learned who the culprit was -- a man who lived right behind them.

In the video you can see him throwing what appears to be the ball of raw meat and seconds later one of the dogs is shown walking toward it.

Then, just a few days later it happened again. The family found another ball of meat stuffed with even more toxins.

Unfortunately, Brownie ended up passing away on December 26th from respiratory and cardiac arrest and Yuki died from kidney failure just three days later.

The family had a third dog who did not digest the poison and survived.

(CBS7 - Jan 12, 2017)

California: District Attorney's Office Seeks Public's Help Identifying Those Responsible for the Death of Two Pit Bulls in Lucerne Valley

CALIFORNIA -- The District Attorney's Animal Cruelty Prosecution Unit, in conjunction with the Sheriff's Rural Crimes Task Force, have been and continue to investigate the death of two pit bulls in Lucerne Valley.

 

In Aug. 2016, the dogs were found deceased, tied up and mangled. One had a rope around its neck and the other had a chain. The dogs have since been identified as Diamond and Sophia, two pit bulls previously reported missing by a Lucerne Valley resident.

This vicious crime along with the gruesome photos circulating on social media have generated understandable public outrage. We are committed to gaining the evidence needed to hold any and all perpetrators responsible for this act.

At this time, we are seeking the public's help. If you have any additional information that would help identify who is responsible for this crime, please contact our Animal Cruelty Prosecution Unit at (909) 945-4400.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Highland News - Jan 6, 2017)

Earlier:

• Family Seeks Answers After Pets Were Found Murdered in Lucerne Valley