New York: Tamara Copeland, 57, is sentenced to 6 months in county jail for dumping her sick, injured poodle outside vet clinic and fleeing

NEW YORK -- A Hempstead woman who left a dog to die on the sidewalk has pleaded guilty to an animal abuse charge and is expected to be sentenced to 6 months in the county jail, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Tamara Copeland, 57, of Hempstead, also was barred from owning an animal for the next 10 years after pleading guilty Monday before District Court Judge Norman St. George to one count of abandonment of animals.

She is due back for sentencing on July 24.

“Crimes against defenseless animals are heartbreaking, and we take these cases very seriously because we know that those who abuse or neglect animals often harm people, too,” Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said in a news release.

Singas said that at about 9 a.m. on Oct. 13, 2015, an employee of a veterinary clinic on Main Street in Hempstead found a poodle-mix dog with open wounds and bloody bandages lying on a small bed right outside the entryway.

The clinic contacted Town of Hempstead Animal Control, which took the dog to a shelter where it was examined and treated, and the case was referred to the district attorney’s office by animal control.

Surveillance videos from that morning, including one video of two women walking on Main Street, one pushing a cart, were obtained by Singas’ office.

SURVEILLANCE VIDEO OF TAMARA COPELAND

ABANDONING THE DYING POODLE MIX

According to the release, the woman pushing the cart, Copeland, briefly leaves the frame and returns without the cart and holding what appears to be a wrapped package.

Prosecutors said Copeland drops the package in front of the animal clinic and then hastily walks away and out of the screen.

Singas said the video was distributed to the media and Copeland was identified through a tip and arrested by her investigators less than 24 hours after the video’s release.

  

  

The dog, named Nino, had an implanted identification chip that helped determined it was owned by a Uniondale woman and that it went missing from her yard more than three years ago, Singas said.

She added the owner did not match the description of the people depicted in the video and was never the subject of an investigation. The dog was given to the owner as a birthday present by her daughter in April 2000.

Singas said that when found, Nino was suffering from broken ribs, bacterial infections, skin lesions, trauma and other injuries of unknown origin. After he received stabilizing medical care, Nino was transferred to a private veterinary facility.

Nino recuperated and but has since died, Singas said.

In April 2015, Singas, at the time acting district attorney, made a “first-of-its-kind” commitment to fully fund the care and rehabilitation of victims of animal cruelty using criminal asset forfeiture funds, the release said.

NEWS STORY FROM 2015

(Newsday - May 23, 2017)

Earlier:

• New York: Little poodle mix dumped by Tamara Copeland at Hempstead clinic had been listed as missing/stolen by original owner two years ago
• New York: Tamara Copeland, accused of dumping her abused (and stolen) dog at vet clinic, arrested

West Virginia: Suzan Hall, Jamey Hall, and Marjore Freeman arrested on animal cruelty charges.

WEST VIRGINIA -- Suzan Hall, Jamey Hall, and Marjore Freeman are each charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty.

The Gilmer County Sheriff's Office responded to a home on Ash Road in Cedarville and found 11 dogs. Eight of the dogs were in "very, very, very poor condition" and "appeared to be starving with no food or water available," deputies said.

Deputies said the dogs were flea and worm infested, were missing hair, and had their ribs, hips, and spines showing.

Suzan Hall told deputies that the dogs were fed daily and had their rabies shots up to date and that most of their taxes were paid. She told deputies that seven of the eight dogs were hers and Jamey Halls and that the eighth dog was Freeman's. After further investigation, deputies confirmed that taxes had only been paid for Freeman's dog.

Deputies seized the dogs from the residence in Cedarville.

Suzan Hall is charged with seven counts of cruelty to animals, Jamey Hall is charged with seven counts of cruelty to animals, and Marjore Freeman is charged with one count of cruelty to animals and one count of vaccination of dogs and cats.

(WVAL - May 10, 2017)

Georgia: Forrest Moore abandoned his pit bulls to starve to death. He will serve NO jail time for this horrific crime, but the skeletal pit bull which survived was given back to him!

GEORGIA -- A Dalton man charged with two counts of cruelty to animals after a dog was discovered dead in shallow water and leaves in an above-ground pool will not serve time in jail after agreeing to a plea deal in Whitfield County Superior Court.

Forrest Brent Moore was sentenced to 12 months probation and ordered to pay a $500 fine and to perform 40 hours of community service by Judge Jack Partain after pleading guilty to one of the two counts. As part of the sentence he cannot own any animals during the probation.

A message left for Moore's attorney, Ibrahim Awad, was not immediately returned Monday afternoon.

At the time of the incident in June 2016, Moore was allowed by Whitfield County Animal Control to leave with another dog found at his residence.

Moore was arrested after neighbors complained of a smell coming from 1012 Foster St., according to a Dalton Police Department incident report at the time of his arrest. Neighbors said Moore had been gone for more than a week, leaving behind two pit bulls.

Officer Bruce Franks found one of the pit bulls “severely malnourished,” and found a bucket to give the dog some water. The other pit bull was found dead in the above-ground pool, lying in a couple of inches of water, leaves and debris.

The officer noted it appeared the dog had gotten into the pool to get water and hadn’t been able to get out, and had been dead for “several days and was bloated.”

THE ABUSED DOG TO BE HANDED BACK TO ITS ABUSER, THE MAN WHO NEARLY STARVED IT TO DEATH - WHERE IS THE DOG NOW?

On June 2, the police department was trying to get a warrant for Moore’s arrest when he showed up at Animal Control and produced ownership papers and records for vaccination for the dog that was still alive.

While Moore was there, shelter personnel contacted Animal Control Deputy Brandon Norwood, who attempted to get in contact with Franks, who was not working that day, and instead was put in touch with Dalton Code Enforcement Officer Chris Cochran, who was helping deal with the condition and health hazards of the pool as well as other code enforcement issues at the property.

Norwood said he asked Cochran if he wanted Norwood to keep Moore at the animal shelter, but said Cochran said the warrant hadn’t been processed and to give the dog back to Moore.

(Dalton Daily Citizen - April 3, 2017)

Earlier:

• Georgia: Forrest Moore, 32, was charged with cruelty but because of officer's mistake, he was allowed to reclaim the dog he abused

Florida: Claire Mimier, 54, charged with animal cruelty after dog in horrific condition seized

FLORIDA -- Palm Bay Police have arrested 54-year-old Claire Louise Mimier, of Evergreen Street, in Palm Bay for Felony Animal Cruelty and Misdemeanor Animal Cruelty against a dog named Carrie.

Brevard County Animal Control Officers immediately took “Carrie” to the animal hospital for treatment.

In the photo, you can see that she's emaciated, missing all of her fur and covered in scabs. Her toenails are also curling under, which causes pain to an animal when putting pressure on them.

Mimier was charged with Felony Animal Cruelty and 1 count of Misdemeanor Animal Cruelty for “Carrie” and a second dog located inside the residence.

 

ARREST INFO:
Full Name: Claire Louise Mimier
Gender: Female
Height: 5'06"
Weight: 170 lbs
Birthdate: 08/22/1962
Arrest Age: 54
Block: 500 Evergreen St NE
City: Palm Bay, Florida 32907
Arrest Date: 03/27/2017
Arrest Time: 6:27 PM
Arresting Agency: Palm Bay Police Department
Total Bond: $2500
Charges:
#1 Animal Cruelty-Felony-Cause Cruel Death Pain & Suffering
BOND: $2000

#2 Animal Cruelty-Misdemeanor-Torment Deprive Mutilate Kill
BOND: $500

(Space Coast Daily - March 28, 2017)

Hawaii: Makaha shelter owners, David Moore and his mother June Moore, appear in court for hundreds of counts of animal cruelty

HAWAII -- The owners of a Makaha shelter appeared in court Friday, having each been charged with hundreds of counts of animal cruelty.

In October 2016, the Hawaiian Humane Society seized 310 dogs from the Friends for Life shelter after the animals were found in inhumane conditions.

  

 

“When we found the animals on that day in October, they were in filthy condition,” said Allison Gammel, Hawaiian Humane Society. “There were feces and urine everywhere, in food bowls. There was lack of food, lack of water, mold in food bowls.”

 

 

 

David “Lanny” Moore and his mother, June Moore, were cited last month and appeared in a Waianae courtroom Friday. They were expected to enter not guilty pleas, but their attorneys requested a delay instead.

A hearing was set for May 5, during which pleas will be entered and a judge will decide whether to preside over the case or let it go to jury trial.

According to their attorneys, the Moores’ intent was always to do what’s best for the dogs.

 

“They operate a no-kill shelter and their philosophy is to never turn away an animal, never to hurt an animal, and also to do good for the community and that’s kind of a big thing for Lanny,” said David Moore’s attorney, Daniel Kawamoto. 

“They’re all his babies. They’re all his children, and so it’s a tough situation for a lot of different reasons.”

You can love your "children" and still neglect them.

“There are some cases you fight, there are some cases you settle. This is a case that should be compromised,” said June Moore’s attorney, Paul Cunney.

The humane society is deputized by the Honolulu Police Department, so it has the authority to cite anyone for animal cruelty misdemeanors.

The organization also filed for forfeiture of the dogs, so it can get them into permanent homes. A court hearing for that is set for next Friday, March 31.

 

(KHON - March 24, 2017)

Earlier:

• Hawaii: Makaha 'no kill' animal rescue operator David Moore cited for 310 COUNTS of animal cruelty
• Hawaii: David Moore, 60, says he was running a "no kill" shelter / rescue called Friends for Life, but police just seized all of the animals

Hawaii: Makaha 'no kill' animal rescue operator David Moore cited for 310 COUNTS of animal cruelty

HAWAII -- It’s been months since hundreds of animals were rescued from a Makaha no-kill shelter.

Now, owner David Moore (aka Lanny Moore) of Friends for Life has been slapped with hundreds of counts of animal cruelty.

 

Moore was first arrested back in October 2016 after the Hawaiian Humane Society secured a warrant and seized 310 dogs and several rabbits from his property that were found to be living in “inhumane conditions.” Moore was later released pending investigation.

Now, the HHS says it’s gathered enough evidence to cite him as well as his mother June Moore.

 

 

The HHS is deputized by the Honolulu Police Department, so it has the authority to cite anyone for animal cruelty misdemeanors. The humane society tells us that it has gathered enough evidence against the shelter and wants to take them to trial.

The goal is to move the animals rescued from the shelter into permanent homes as fast as possible. Of the 310 dogs seized, over 200 of them are currently with foster families.

 

This is the largest investigation the Hawaiian Humane Society has done to date. We’re told investigators found many of the animals covered in feces and urine, with no food or water, and rodents running around the property and feeding on dog food.

We spoke with the Moore family attorney who says he will fight the citation and insists the mother and son did not abuse the animals. “We’re definitely asking for a trial,” Paul Cunney said. “We’re not caving in at all.

 

 

 

“To me, it’s not right, for all the good work they do in the community, that they be treated like this,” he said. “I think it’s going to be an uphill battle for the humane society to prosecute these alleged violations.”

Allison Gammel of the Hawaiian Humane Society says “our top priority is the health of these animals. We just want to make sure we want to put these animals in permanent homes as quickly as possible.”

The Moores are each facing 310 counts of animal cruelty in the second degree. Each misdemeanor faces penalties of up to $2,000 in fines and up to one year in jail.

 

 

(KHON2 - Feb 24, 2017)

Earlier:

• Hawaii: David Moore, 60, says he was running a "no kill" shelter / rescue called Friends for Life, but police just seized all of the animals

United Kingdom: Breeder Leanne Fallow, 39, charged with animal cruelty after refusing to seek vet care for her dogs. Her punishment? Probation.

UNITED KINGDOM -- A woman who left puppies in an appalling state of neglect was caught out by her own Facebook page after a picture showed a Mastiff with mutilated ears.

Mother-of-five Leanne Fallow, 39, from Thorntree in Middlesborough, has been banned from having animals for five years after keeping a litter of Serbian Mastiffs in such a poor condition that their fur fell out.

The pups and their mother had suffered so badly that their skin had turned red raw, with the pain causing them to bite their own flesh.

John Ellwood, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA at Teesside Magistrates' Court, said: 'Two vets have certified that animals in this case have been suffering substantially.

'They were suffering from mange and had been self-traumatising themselves (by) scratching themselves and biting themselves and had thereby suffered secondary bacterial infection.'

Mr Ellwood explained that one puppy was in a 'very bad condition', adding: 'She had areas of skin that were open and sores and lots of crusty areas on her face.

'Her paws were swollen and inflamed - the inspector was very concerned about the way the animals were being kept.'

The court also heard the puppies' mum, Sheba, was 'underweight' and along with her litter had an untreated 'terrible skin condition' (similar to mange).

However, the prosecution claimed Fallow used Sheba to breed several puppies, a process Mr Ellwood said was 'highly suspicious'.

He said: 'The defendant claims not to know how her female became pregnant and who the father of her puppies was.'

Fallow had also claimed she gave away 'a number of' puppies to strangers by the time the investigation launched.

The RSPCA say she allowed the dog to breed to sell the dogs on, with the court hearing she had spoken on Facebook with a banned dog dealer to sell the pups.

Mr Ellwood said: 'The defendant's account appears to be that a large dog became pregnant and she does not know where or why and that she gave away some of the puppies to people she does not even know or remember.

'This appears to be a lie.

'She has on her Facebook a photograph of the mother of the puppies in her outhouse with a large male Serbian mastiff with mutilated ears.'

The court heard that mutilation was often carried out with Stanley knives on the breed to make them look 'fierce'.

This was first noticed by kindly Glynn Dack who helped raise the alarm after believing to have seen the 'mutilated' puppies mate with Sheba.

He took one puppy home last August after spotting their awful condition to try to nurse it back to health, despite having no intention of keeping it.

But Fallow, who her solicitor claimed was an 'animal lover', came around to take it back.

However, he was concerned enough to raise the alarm to the RSCPA, who also received reports from others, including a Middlesbrough Council officer, with police seizing the animals, who have since recovered.

In January, Fallow admitted four offences of causing unnecessary suffering, with Mr Elwood adding she caused 'prolonged neglect' for commercial gain.

However, he was concerned enough to raise the alarm to the RSCPA, who also received reports from others, including a Middlesbrough Council officer, with police seizing the animals, who have since recovered.

 

In January, Fallow admitted four offences of causing unnecessary suffering, with Mr Elwood adding she caused 'prolonged neglect' for commercial gain.

In mitigation, Fallow from Thorntree in Middlesborough, was said to have had a family Staffordshire pit bull for almost a decade, which had become 'one of the children' since a tragedy struck.

Her attorney Daniel Burke claimed: 'She's desperate to keep that dog. It is part of the family since the death of her husband. She does love animals - she's not a callous woman.'

Is this love, Daniel Burke?

However, magistrates sentenced her to 12 weeks' custody, suspended for a year.

They also ordered her to pay £250 costs, £180 vet costs and a £115 charge while the RSPCA will now seize her family dog.

(Daily Mail - February 8, 2017)

Massachusetts: Ronnie Crapps, his wife, Sarah Crapps, deny animal cruelty charges

MASSACHUSETTS -- A Chicopee man is facing an animal cruelty charge after allegedly bringing an emaciated dog with a fever and multiple untreated infections to an animal shelter for care.

Ronnie Crapps, 49, pleaded not guilty Monday in Springfield District Court to one count of cruelty to an animal stemming from his alleged treatment of his dog Bella, a female pit bull terrier.

His wife, Sarah Crapps, of Springfield, pleaded not guilty to the same charge.

By failing to provide adequate nutrition and medical care, the couple "knowingly and willingly subjected Bella to unnecessary suffering" for months, according to a complaint filed by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which investigates abuse and neglect complaints.

"Both knew they could have surrendered Bella at any time" to animal welfare officials, the complaint added.

Bella was carried, wrapped in a blanket, into the Dakin Humane Society's shelter in Springfield on Dec. 1, according to a case summary filed along with the charges.

The dog was unable to walk and suffering from a fever and chronic infections of her skin, ears, urinary tract and mammary glands.

The dog's condition was so dire that shelter officials assumed that Ronnie Crapps wanted her euthanized. The owner insisted the dog had no health problems, but said he was no longer able care for her.

A man accompanying Crapps added that "the dog was just very shy and never went outside the house," the report said.

Ronnie Crapps signed the surrender order and both men left, the report said.

When a veterinarian unwrapped the blanket, she was appalled by the dog's condition and immediately contacted MSPCA investigator Christine Allenberg.

When Allenberg contacted Ronnie Crapps, he denied ever neglecting or abusing the dog, according to the case summary.

He and his wife purchased Bella for their daughter more than a decade ago, Ronnie Crapps said. After the couple separated last year, the dog stayed with Sarah Crapps in Springfield but he visited several times a week. The couple eventually decided to surrender Bella because a back injury had made it increasingly difficult for Sarah Crapps to care for her, Ronnie Crapps said.

Bella was "very old ... and losing a bit of weight," but still healthy when he carried her into the shelter on Dec. 1, Ronnie Crapps said.

For her part, Sarah Crapps was "shocked" to learn of the dog's poor health and suggested the Humane Society was to blame, according to the summary.

While Ronnie Crapps described the dog as being elderly, Dakin staffers estimated her actual age at around 2 years, the report said.

The dog's health has rebounded since her arrival at the shelter, thanks to a proper diet and veterinary care. The multiple infections are gone, her hair is growing back and her weight is increasing at a rate of one pound a week, according to the report.

"She has been eating very well at the shelter, never turning down a meal or a treat," the report said.

The Crappses are due back in court for a pretrial hearing on March 31.

(MassLive - Feb 4, 2017)

South Carolina: More than 30 dead dogs and dozens sick in Chester County, but owner Jordan Johnson - who was convicted and got probation (of course) - wants the live dogs back

SOUTH CAROLINA -- Police found more than 30 dog carcasses on Jordan Johnson’s property in rural Chester County in September 2016. One of the animal’s bodies was covered with maggots.

Deputies seized 116 dogs in various degrees of illness, including animals suffering from cancer, broken bones, eye infections and worms. Some potentially were eating their own feces to survive, court testimony showed.

Law enforcement officers claimed Johnson was living in a shed-like structure in the middle of a compound with as many as 30 dogs when he was arrested.

Chester County officials have since spent more than $104,00 to try to save the dogs.

Yet Johnson still fought in court Wednesday to get the dogs back.

Johnson, 48, was convicted Monday of 15 counts of animal cruelty and sentenced to 90 days’ probation. But prosecutor Candice Lively refused to return the dogs to him, saying they had been fostered out to safe homes without a court order.

Visiting Circuit Court Judge Casey Manning took testimony from officers, a veterinarian and others who spoke about the sick dogs and the conditions in which they were living.

Pictures of the animals were published in court, showing wounds, skin problems, lesions and other illnesses.

Johnson’s court-appointed lawyer, 6th Circuit Deputy Public Defender William Frick, argued that there was no evidence that Johnson did not seek medical attention for the animals before the dogs were seized, and that most of the dogs seized were found not to be malnourished.

Manning, the judge, has not yet ruled on whether Johnson has a legal right to the dogs. But the hearing drew a crowd of more than three dozen animal rights and rescue people who took in the dogs and did not want him to get the dogs back.

Veterinarian Brent Gwinn, who examined 10 of the dogs that had worms and skin lesions so severe that some had almost no hair, said he had to euthanize one dog named Miracle who had cancer when found.

Another dog had an infection requiring an immediate surgery to save its life. Other dogs required immediate medication.

Not only should Joseph not get the dogs back, Gwinn testified, but one person cannot take care of 116 dogs.

“A team of four veterinarians couldn’t take care of 116 dogs,” Gwinn testified.

Wendy Glenn, Chester County animal control officer, testified about finding almost all the dogs without access to food or water, living among their own urine and feces. Dozens more were already dead.

“We found at least 30 bags and caskets with dead dogs in them” Glenn testified.

Lively, the prosecutor, said improper disposal of dog carcasses is against the law.

“It is not legal to leave a dog to rot with maggots on it in a field,” Lively said.

Chester County officials spent $104,000 on care of the dogs, Glenn testified.

(Herald Online - Jan 25, 2017)