LOUISIANA -- [From January] Two dogs were fighting for their lives in intensive veterinary care Tuesday after a wild chase involving Gretna police officers Monday afternoon ended with a burglary suspect running over the dogs in Coliseum Square in the Lower Garden District.
Jojo, a 17-year-old mixed breed, and Breezy, an 8-year-old border collie named after Saints quarterback Drew Brees, both suffered serious injuries, said Anne Bell, director of the Southern Animal Foundation.
Fleeing from police, Barthe crashed into Coliseum Square, where two employees of the animal foundation were walking Jo-Jo and Breezy, Bell said.
“They were able to dive for the bushes, but they couldn’t get the dogs out of the way,” she said.
Jojo’s hip was dislocated. Breezy suffered several broken bones. “You can see track marks on the abdomen,” Bell said.
But it wasn’t just dogs whose lives were at risk. Bell said parents were grabbing students out of the way as the youngsters were leaving the nearby International School of Louisiana.
ARREST INFO:
Full Name: Brandon Barthe
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthdate: 12/07/1994
Arrest Age: 22
Arrest Date: 09/18/2017
Arrest Time: 11:59 AM
Arrest Location: Orleans Parish, Louisiana
Charges
#1 AGG CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
#2 RECKLESS OPERATION OF A VEHICLE
Prosecutors say Thacker admitted in court documents to shooting eagle and then running over it repeatedly with an all-terrain vehicle because he was mad the bird was hunting in a pond on his property. Court documents say the incident happened March 13.
Thacker shot the bird with a Remington .22 caliber rifle. The rifle shot knocked the majestic bird out of the sky. But the adult male eagle, shot through the pelvis and the left wing, was still alive after hitting the ground.
“Though Thacker initially denied it when interviewed by investigators, a witness reported having seen Thacker [driving back and forth] over the live, injured eagle with his all-terrain vehicle,” the statement continued. “In Court records filed with [his] guilty plea, Thacker fully admitted to shooting the bird and running it over with the all-terrain vehicle.”
A necropsy found the eagle died from a blunt force trauma to its skull.
According to court documents, Thacker later told agents with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “that too much emphasis is placed on bald eagle protection because the birds are a menace and . . . that people with whom he associates feel the same way.”
Thacker pleaded guilty Tuesday in Norfolk federal court to violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. He faces up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine when he’s sentenced in October.
I guarantee you this POS will not spend one single night in a jail cell. They'll give him probation.
He must also hand over to the government the rifle and $960, or half the value of the ATV, according to a forfeiture order.
Thacker’s attorney did not immediately respond to a telephone message seeking comment.
SOME FACEBOOK COMMENTS
Mc Vero Vargas Troncoso (Veronica Vargas Troncoso) - Wow it's just a freaking bird....
TJ Darby - Its our National Bird and a symbol of the United States
Al Est - "Just a freaking bird."
You're obviously not an American.
Venessa Yvette Lee Estevez - It is illegal to kill them.
Mc Vero Vargas Troncoso - And yeah I am American ...I'm Puertorican...so yeah I'm a citizen have a good day
Al Est - Mc Vero Vargas Troncoso and yet you think the bald eagle is "just a freaking bird." Go figure.
Josue Efrain Caraballo - A citizen but can't recognize the national symbol and that is protected by law. It's common knowledge. I'm Puerto Rican too and knew this. Stop embarrassing our community. Thanks.
PENNSYLVANIA -- A disturbing photo that is circulating on social media shows a golfer holding up two dead ducks.
The ducks lived at Duck Hollow Golf Course in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.
"They are residents of the golf course, and they are well-known throughout the golf course community," said Trooper Robert Broadwater.
Duck Hollow Golf Course only had two white ducks. They were inseparable and wandered around the course, following the golfers every day.
"They do follow them around, back and forth to the club house, and back and forth to the parking lot," Broadwater said.
Now, the golfing community in Uniontown is outraged after a photo surfaced on social media, showing a golfer holding up the two ducks, which were killed over the weekend. There is speculation they were run over.
State police are actively investigating and did several interviews Tuesday.
WPXI spoke to Dylan Tressler,the man in the photo who said he and his family members are now receiving death threats. He confirmed he took the photo with the dead ducks, but claims he isn't the one who killed them; when he found them, he says they were already dead. He also said he regrets taking the photo.
Yeah I pick up dead things all the time, smile and pose for photos and then post these photos online. In fact, I came across a dead baby just yesterday. It was just lying there, totally dead, y'know? I picked it up, hung it upside down. It was soooo funny! LOL! 💀 😆😆😆😆😆😆 💀
A Duck Hollow Course official said that state police were immediately contacted, saying in part, "We had two ducks. The ducks and all of the wildlife are a part of what makes Duck Hollow a special place."
Troopers say they could file animal-cruelty charges.
Update: Dylan Tressler was cleared of torturing and killing the ducks, but he's still guilty of being an odious jackass.
Police have said they have identified another man Josh Jenkins-Howenstine, aka Bubbie Jenkins, 21, of Uniontown, Pennsylvania as the suspect and they have arrested and charged him with cruelty to animals. Sources say he purposely ran down the ducks and killed them with a golf cart.
Of course, now Bubbie is telling the cops he was sh*tfaced drunk while driving a golf cart at Duck Hollow golf course and that he MAY have run over both ducks... but IF he did do it, it certainly wasn't intentional. IF he did do it, it would've been a complete accident. Yeah right. If you believe that, you also believe Kim Kardashian is "all natural".
Bubbie may want to get re-inked to add "and twelve jurors"
SWEDEN -- An image showing a memorial for a dog killed in central Stockholm when a lorry rammed into people has drawn attention online after it was posted on Facebook.
Four people - a British national, two Swedes and one Belgian - were killed in the Islamic terrorist attack on Friday.
Markus Krantz, 37, and his girlfriend who live just north of the capital went to the scene of the attack after it was re-opened to the public, and noticed that nothing was there to recognise the death of the dog called Iggy.
When it came to light that Iggy was a rescue dog, Markus returned to the scene and left the dog flowers and a message on their behalf.
The original image posted by Markus on Saturday from the scene of Iggy's death - which has over 48,000 reactions - shows dog crackers, candles and a leash that belonged to his dog Ebba who died in 2016.
Markus told the BBC that he and his girlfriend heard that a dog had been killed but were unable to find anything where Iggy last walked that specifically recognised the dog.
"We decided to put down flowers and dog crackers, and light a candle," he said.
"My mom asked me to take a picture and send it to her and since it went online, the response has been 100 per cent positive. Just pure love," Markus continued.
Following this, Markus discovered that Iggy was a rescue dog from Dogs Aid Animal Sanctuary in Dublin. Markus currently has five dogs, all rescued from Romania.
Dogs Aid asked Markus to return to the site and leave a message on their behalf: "Iggy Run Free, from all ur friends in Dogs Aid in Dublin."
On Facebook, the sanctuary said: "We are deeply saddened to learn that one of our dogs was killed in the terrorist attack in Stockholm. DOGS AID IGGY found his beautiful home in Sweden in 2012."
More people have paid a visit to the memorial site. Pictures online show a stuffed dog, a child's drawing of a dog, crackers, a rubber dog bone toy, candles and flowers.
And Facebook users sent their love to Iggy, with one sharing an image of "doggy heaven".
OKLAHOMA -- Family of a woman mauled by two dogs on Oklahoma City’s far northwest side Thursday afternoon says she was a loving woman who relished the neighborhood she lived in.
Police say Cecille Short, 82, was attacked by two large pit-bull type dogs shortly before 2 p.m.
When police got to the scene, they could not get to Short quickly enough. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her beloved Papillon named Taylor was also mauled to death by the Pit Bulls.
Police shot one dog dead; the other was also shot, run over by a police squad car and then captured at the owner's home the next block over. It is recovering and in custody with Oklahoma City Animal Welfare.
“The investigation is still in the very early stages," said Oklahoma City Police Department spokesman Master Sgt. Gary Knight. "It’s simply too early to speculate what’s going to happen from here. The homicide unit is working it because it did involve a death.”
Knight says its too early to say if the owner will face any charges. As of Friday morning, investigators were still waiting to talk with him as he told them he wasn't home.
“They haven’t had a chance to interview him yet, because he indicated he was out of town," Knight said.
However, in the video clip (below), reporters found a man at the home who quickly closed his garage door when they approached. He's home and is just avoiding the police until he gets an attorney.
Homicide detectives are investigating because it involves a death.
“These types of cases are so rare, where a dog mauls somebody to death. It’s an extremely rare event," he said.
A memorial of flowers and crucifixes growing near the corner of Willow Creek Blvd. and Windmill Rd. where Short was attacked, mere steps from her own home.
"We want people to know that everybody in the neighborhood knew her," said Short's daughter, Melinda Clonts. "She saw so many kids grow up."
Clonts says her mother was extremely active for her age, surprising her own family, with Resurrection Free Methodist, hosting Bible studies at her home, volunteering with Southern Plaza Retirement Village and -- in her free time -- taking a civics class.
The mother of two, grandmother of five and great-grandmother of four -- with another on the way -- doted over her dog, a Papillon named Taylor, her daughter said.
It was during a walk with her dog that Short was attacked; her dog was also killed.
People who were at the home where the two dogs in the attack lived, one block to the east of where the attack happened, did not want to talk. A visible hole is in the fence on the south side of the house.
This is not the first time the dogs have run afoul of animal welfare officers.
"We do have a small history with these two dogs," said John Gary, Oklahoma City Animal Welfare Superintendent during a press conference Friday morning.
"But we're still in the process of researching that, so I don't know the exact number. I do know that we have received calls in that neighborhood for these two dogs."
Neighbors say it wasn't uncommon for the dogs to be out of the yard.
"They were out fairly often. Sometimes I wouldn't see them out for days on end -- maybe two or three weeks. Then they'd be out," said neighbor Mike Elder, who says his wife was knocked down by one of the dogs once before.
Elder says the roughly 100-pound dog wasn't attacking, but excited and easily bowled over his equally as heavy wife.
"They weren't being malicious, but the size of the dogs is the problem," he said.
One neighbor even circulated a letter late last year, warning neighbors to call police if they saw the dogs on the loose.
"Just a very sad situation that could have been resolved with better actions by these people, of keeping their dogs inside," he said.
LOUISIANA -- Two dogs were fighting for their lives in intensive veterinary care Tuesday after a wild chase involving Gretna police officers Monday afternoon ended with a burglary suspect running over the dogs in Coliseum Square in the Lower Garden District.
Jojo, a 17-year-old mixed breed, and Breezy, an 8-year-old border collie named after Saints quarterback Drew Brees, both suffered serious injuries, said Anne Bell, director of the Southern Animal Foundation.
Bell said she fears the incident — which ultimately resulted in the arrest of 22-year-old burglary suspect Brandon Barthe — could have been far worse.
Children were nearby as Barthe's vehicle careened through the park and hit the dogs, which lived at the animal foundation’s nearby headquarters, she said.
The chain of events began about 5 a.m. Monday when officers received a call about a burglary near Tulip Drive and Stumpf Boulevard, Gretna Deputy Chief Anthony Christiana said.
Responding officers were told that the burglar had run across the street into an apartment complex, Christiana said. But he said the man, later identified as Barthe, was able to escape through a rear window.
Detectives began canvassing the area and found a Nissan Murano that they believed belonged to the burglar. About 3 p.m., officers spotted Barthe driving it and took off in pursuit, Christiana said.
The chase proceeded over the Crescent City Connection and into New Orleans.
Barthe took the Tchoupitoulas Street exit coming off the bridge and continued upriver to Orange and Camp streets, where officers lost sight of him, Christiana said. Even after ending their pursuit, the officers continued to canvass the area in an attempt to find him, according to the deputy chief.
About 3:30 p.m., Barthe crashed into Coliseum Square, where two employees of the animal foundation were walking Jo-Jo and Breezy, Bell said.
“They were able to dive for the bushes, but they couldn’t get the dogs out of the way,” she said.
Jojo’s hip was dislocated. Breezy suffered several broken bones. “You can see track marks on the abdomen,” Bell said.
But it wasn’t just dogs whose lives were at risk. Bell said parents were grabbing students out of the way as the youngsters were leaving the nearby International School of Louisiana.
The Murano passed close enough to one of her employees that he could feel it, she said.
Christiana said the Gretna officers arrived about two minutes later and followed the marks left by Barthe’s Murano into the park. But he maintained that his cops were not in pursuit of Barthe when the dogs were struck.
When the officers "realized they were in a park," they drove back onto the street, Christiana said.
Barthe got away from the park, according to police. But about 7 p.m. he was spotted behind a hotel on the West Bank Expressway in Gretna and was taken into custody, Christiana said. He was booked on simple burglary, aggravated flight from officers and a probation violation.
Whether Barthe will be booked in connection with anything that happened in Coliseum Square — including running over the dogs — is an open question.
Massey said the case belongs to the Gretna Police Department.
However, Bell said she believes the dog’s injuries should be investigated by the NOPD because the incident occurred in New Orleans and its police have jurisdiction there. She expressed fear that the man who she said ran over her clinic’s beloved in-house dogs could get away with his crime.
Bell said she does not know what will happen to Jojo and Breezy. Both are expected to undergo surgery.
“I don’t know at the end of the day what’s going to happen, but they’re in the best hands. All we can do is pray,” she said.
MICHIGAN -- A Scio Township resident found the bodies of a swan family apparently run over and killed by a vehicle.
For the past few months, Emily Bauerle and her children enjoyed watching a pair of swans and their cygnets on a pond at the southwest corner of Parker Road and Scio Church Road in Freedom Township, just west of Ann Arbor.
Bauerle drove past them four times a day, and would see them grooming, paddling in the water and taking off and landing. With her children, Bauerle occasionally stopped to watch them.
"It has been a treat to watch this swan family grow over time," she said.
As of early August, the cygnets were nearly the size of the adults.
The swans often were close to the road, Bauerle said, and she was worried about their safety. Her concern was well founded.
On Wednesday, Aug. 10, she saw the birds lying dead on the side of Parker Road, apparently run over by a vehicle.
"It appears they had been sleeping in one of their usual spots and someone ran 3 to 4 feet off the road, within mere inches of the swamp, and hit them," Bauerle said. "I don't know for sure if this was intentional or not. I hope not, but my gut tells me otherwise. It saddens me that people can't leave nature alone."
Bauerle took photos of the dead birds, which are graphic.
The Humane Society of Huron Valley said it plans to issue a statement later Wednesday.
The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office now says they believe the swans were deliberately run over and are investigating the incident. Trumpeter swans are considered a threatened species in Michigan.
In 2009, a family of swans living in a pond at the same intersection were found dead and had head wounds, according to Ann Arbor News records.
NEW YORK -- Two police officers are accused of ruthlessly chasing down a groundhog with their golf course and running over it.
The officers, who work with the Rensselaer police department in upstate New York, were suspended with pay on Friday pending an investigation over an incident at a Troy golf club which the chief of police says has 'humiliated' him.
The officers have been identified by Rensselaer Chief of Police Rick Fusco as Tyler Sammon and Matt Spath, according to News 10.
The incident took place during a police union's golf tournament at the Frear Park Golf Course in the city of Troy last Friday. There were at least 80 officers participating in the tournament.
Authorities say witnesses saw the men chase down the critter and deliberately run over it, killing it.
'When you're talking about harming an innocent animal, this is embarrassing,' Fusco said. 'I'm humiliated.'
Fusco said he will attempt to fire both officers if an investigation finds them guilty.
'Things in this country, with police officers right now, are not good. You have an innocent animal killed by a police officer, it's a perfect storm. I understand the outrage and I support the outrage because if this happened, I'm outraged myself,' he told WNYT .
'They're police officers if they did this and intentionally ran over an animal and killed it, that's disturbing to me.'
Sammon has been an officer for three years and Spath for eight, reported the outlet.
Troy City Council President Carmella Mantello said the city has zero tolerance for that behavior, according to TWC News.
Rensselaer Chief of Police Rick Fusco
Fusco admitted that the incident came to the department's attention from Facebook, when a witness from Troy posted it as a status and others began copying the status to the Rensselaer County police department's inactive page.
The original status, which read:
'While playing Frear Park golf course today, I witnessed two people in a golf cart chase down a woodchuck until it couldn't run anymore and then they ran over it with their golf cart.'
'The woodchuck managed to crawl about ten feet and rolled around a little before it died. I later learned that the two people were police officers from the City of Rensselaer, playing in a golf tournament. To the both of you: you guys must really feel good about yourselves, killing an innocent animal. To make it worse, there was a baby woodchuck nearby on hole number 12 probably wondering where it's mother was.'
Outrage followed the posts.
'Haha... put on administrative leave ...That is a joke!...They should be fired immediately!!!!!!!!' wrote one person.
'Someone with a sadistic streak like this has no business in a career of protecting and serving,' wrote another.
NEW YORK -- Authorities say they're investigating reports that two police officers used a golf cart to purposely run down and kill a groundhog during a tournament hosted by an upstate New York police department's union.
Officials in Troy said Monday that witnesses reported seeing the cart drive over tee boxes and onto greens at the city-owned Frear Park Golf Course on Friday afternoon. City Council President Carmella Mantello says officials have been told two men used the cart to hunt down the animal and run it over near one of the course's holes.
"That's crazy, that's crazy," said golfer Rich Warren, playing Monday on the Troy Municipal course. "You don't have to chase one down. They don't come after you, they stay on the edge of the woods. Once in a while they come out, they don't bother anybody."
William Meissner, identified by WNYT as a former head of the Troy Housing Authority, took to Facebook to describe the scene at Frear Park Golf Course last Friday afternoon.
"While playing Frear Park golf course today, I witnessed two people in a golf cart chase down a [groundhog] until it couldn't run anymore," said Meissner, "and then they ran over it with their golf cart. The [groundhog] managed to crawl about ten feet and rolled around a little before it died."
Stock photo of mama groundhog with her babies. The gleeful enjoyment of torturing and killing innocent animals is disgusting. If these are police officers, they need to be fired immediately.
"To the both of you: you guys must really feel good about yourselves, killing an innocent animal. To make it worse, there was a baby woodchuck nearby on hole number 12 probably wondering where it's (sic) mother was. DON'T EVER COME BACK TO FREAR PARK."
The incident occurred while the police union for the department in the nearby city of Rensselaer was hosting a tournament. More than 80 people participated, not all of them police officers.
Officials in both cities say they're investigating the incident.
WHY IT'S NOT "JUST A GROUNDHOG": There is something wrong with people who gain enjoyment from the suffering of others. Who, in history, has been like this? Ted Bundy? The BK Killer? The Boston Strangler? It is even more disturbing that someone sworn to protect and serve may have been the ones who did this horrific deed. Animals feel pain and terror just like we do. A groundhog feels pain and terror just like your beloved cat or dog.
ARKANSAS -- A Fayetteville man was arrested Sunday morning after he crashed his vehicle into his brother's garage following a martial spat, killing his wife's dog in the process, according to police.
Jeremy Cox, 28, of 134 Road Runner Lane in Fayetteville was arrested in connection with first-degree criminal mischief, a Class C felony. Cox also faces misdemeanor charges of cruelty to animals and driving on a suspended or revoked license.
Police went to 3436 W. Clabber Creek Blvd. for a burglary call about 10:47 p.m. Saturday, where Cox's wife was staying with her brother-in-law after she and Cox separated, according to a preliminary arrest report.
They saw Cox pull up to the front door and then heard a loud crash, the report said. Cox's brother told officers Cox used his vehicle to force his way into the garage. Police reported they also found the front porch in disarray, with a broken table and other furniture scattered in the front yard.
Inside the garage, police found Cox's wife's dog deceased. The Yorkshire terrier was pinned between the floor and garage door, the report said. Cox later was stopped and arrested by Greenland police, according to the report. He told police he did not intentionally crash into his brother's garage and the dog was his because he bought it.
Cox was released Sunday from the Washington County Detention Center after posting a partial bond of $6,500.
Full Name: Jeremy Cox
Address Block: 200 Ella St, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701
Arrest Age: 28
Gender: Male
Race: Black
Height: 5'06"
Weight: 112 lbs
Hair Color: black
Eye Color: brown
Arrest Date: 07/10/2016
Arresting Agency: Greenland Police (Washington County)
Total Bond: $6,500
Charges:
DRIVING ON SUSPENDED/REVOKED LICENSE - BOND: $1,500
