Michigan: Before killing himself, Christopher Lockhart left note admitting to strangling his wife to death and also to killing her beloved cats

MICHIGAN -- A Michigan man who confessed to killing his wife and her beloved cats before taking his own life left detectives a descriptive note on when and where the horrific homicide took place.

Christopher Lockhart was found dead inside the home he shared with his wife Theresa in Portage in late October, after police say he had been dead for several days.

 

 

The 47-year-old was found in the home by police after he failed to show up for a routine appointment with his probation officer.

Also found next to his body, was a note confessing to the high school Spanish teacher's murder which he said he carried out in May after an argument.

The letter contained a 'hand-drawn map' to where he had dumped her body in a game area 50 miles away.

Aside the map, he wrote: 'Detective Hess, I'm sorry for taking her away from everyone. Find her and put her to rest. I had no right to do what I did. I pray that God forgives me. I love her so much.'

In the confession. dated October 23, the former manager of a Pfizer drug production warehouse revealed he choked his wife to death in the downstairs of their home when he was drunk and 'snapped' the night of May 18.

Police followed the map to the Allegan State Game Area where they found the 44-year-old Spanish teacher's body partially submerged in some shallow water.

Since his wife went missing, Lockhart had been arrested four times on various charges including drunk driving, tampering with his alcohol tether and cutting his next door neighbor's internet and air conditioning wires.

 

 

 

Despite being going in and out of custody on those separate charges and being considered a person of interest in Theresa's disappearance, police never brought charges against him for her vanishing.

Detectives suspected the man was involved in his wife's disappearance but never had enough evidence to arrest him at the time.

Back in June, Theresa's mom did an interview in which she said how much Theresa loved her cats and also 'wouldn't put it past' her husband to have done something to her daughter:

Thumbing through old photos Tuesday afternoon, Loretta Huyge looked back fondly on memories of her daughter, Theresa Lockhart.

“That’s Theresa,” she showed 24 Hour News 8 as she pointed at a 4-by-6 picture. “She loves cats.”

But Portage police have named Christopher Lockhart — who was previously charged in a domestic violence case involving his wife and has at least three peeping convictions — the sole person of interest in her disappearance. He has denied involvement.

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t put it past him,” Huyge said when asked if Christopher Lockhart could have killed her daughter.

Huyge hopes that her daughter is somehow still alive and perhaps hiding out somewhere, but fears something horrible happened.

“If they (police) should blame him (Christopher), I hope he burns in Hell,” Huyge said.

As he announced his death and the discovery of Theresa's body in October, Portage Public Safety Director Nick Armold said he never once helped in efforts to try to find his wife.

'Not once had he orchestrated, participated or took part in searches for Theresa or contacted the agency,' he said. The couple shared two young adult children.

Theresa was reported missing by school officials after failing to show up for classes in May.

Her car was later found in a park-and-ride in the area. Her estranged mother shared her suspicion of her husband before her body was found in October.

'He controlled her and wouldn’t let anybody see her,' her mother told Wood TV.

HISTORY OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, DEVIANT BEHAVIOR
Christopher was previously charged in a domestic violence case which involved his wife. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge at the time.

He also had several window peeping charges stemming back to the 1990s.
Witnesses told how he would appear at victims' windows late at night while dressed in a swimsuit.

One male victim said Christopher sprayed him with pepper spray when he confronted him.

 

 

(Daily Mail - Dec 23, 2017)

North Carolina: Charged with animal cruelty, Stephen Spear, 69, has now been charged with child pornography

NORTH CAROLINA -- The owner of a Hoke County animal shelter accused of animal cruelty last year now faces child pornography charges.

Officials say they rearrested 69-year-old Stephen Joseph Spear after finding images of children involved in sexual activity on his computer while investigating the cruelty allegations.

 

In January, 2016, authorities raided The Haven-Friends for Life no-kill shelter and removed about 600 animals following complaints about neglect.

Investigators said they found at least 15 dead dogs in scattered burial sites throughout the shelter property.

 

 

"We've seen open wounds on animals, we've seen no water for the animals, we are seeing animals that seem to be malnourished," said Cpt. John Kivett of the Hoke County Sheriff's Office in 2016.

Spear and his wife Linden Spear were charged with three counts of felony possession of controlled substance and four counts of cruelty to animals.

He is now charged with 114 counts of second and third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. Bond was set at $228,000.

CAUGHT WITH CHILD PORN 8 YEARS AGO

This isn't the first time Spear has faced child porn charges.

In 2009, he was charged with 18 counts of child pornography while he was a teacher at Fayetteville Tech. He agreed to a plea deal and was not required to register as a sex offender in that case.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(ABC11 - Feb 9, 2017)

Earlier:

• North Carolina: Stephen Joseph Spear and Linden Spear collected your donation money and starved the 600 ANIMALS at their 'no kill' shelter, say police
• North Carolina: Couple who operate The Haven no-kill shelter appear in court
• North Carolina: Stephen Joseph Spear, whose animal rescue was recently raided, used to be a teacher who, in 2009, was charged in child porn case

Oklahoma: Seth Ragsdale, son of former MHS agriculture teacher, charged with cruelty to animals for 23 dead cows. Sheriff says it's "saddening" for the money lose, doesn't mention the suffering the animals endured.

OKLAHOMA -- Seth Odell Ragsdale, 21, son of the former agriculture teacher at Muskogee High School, Bruce Ragsdale, has been charged with Felony Cruelty to Animals after almost two dozen cows in his care starved to death, according to law enforcement sources.

Muskogee County Sheriff’s Deputy David Chandler
noticed the dead cows “lined up” at the ranch on Benge Road, half a mile east of Two Mile Road in Fort Gibson, according to an affidavit filed with the case, and other cows laying around as well.

“There were several other cows that were still alive, but obviously in poor shape and could not stand up,” the deputy reported.

At the time, Chandler counted a total of 20 dead cattle, and he noted in the affidavit the property and cattle belong to Finis Bruce Ragsdale, Melanie Ruth Ragsdale and Seth O'Dell Ragsdale.

Muskogee County Sheriff Rob Frazier said the case is saddening, “because someone’s lost thousands of dollars in cattle, whether accidental or on purpose.”

“And that can not be unseen. Can not be overlooked. It has to be investigated,” Frazier said.

Hey Sheriff Frazier. How about you consider for just a second, the suffering these animals endured at the hands of SETH RAGSDALE. It's not just "SADDENING" that money from butchered cattle that was lost. Living animals that we raise and utilize for food and hides, suffered for weeks before dying. Maybe you should consider that "SADDENING" as well.

Bruce Ragsdale had entrusted the care of the cows to Seth while he and his wife were away, according to law enforcement, but Seth Ragsdale chose to deprive the cattle with feed, slowly starving them to death.

They need to investigate to see if he was provided with money to purchase feed. If so, where's the money? What did he spend it on? Drugs?

By the time officers arrived at the ranch in Fort Gibson, 20 cows were dead. Officials seized 35 more cows, and three more died while they were in official custody.

The rest were returned to Bruce Ragsdale under condition that they not be placed back in Seth’s care.

Bruce Ragsdale is on the board of directors at the Muskogee County Farm Bureau. He better not have paid his brat's bail to get him out of jail.

The charges were filed against Seth yesterday. He was transported to the Muskogee County/City Detention Facility and given a $5,000 bond.

He will be back in court for a sounding docket on April 12. At that time, a date will be set for a preliminary hearing.

Case Information
STATE OF OKLAHOMA vs. RAGSDALE, SETH ODELL
Case Identifier Muskogee OK — CF-2017-00346
Type of Case Criminal Felony Proceedings
Date Filed 03/27/2017

Update: 
Seth Ragsdale has continued to fight the Felony Animal Cruelty charges and refuses to accept responsibility for the suffering endured by the animals that we raise for our consumption. Let's lock ol' Seth up in a room and starve him for a few weeks and see how he likes it.

He is due to have his Preliminary Hearing on July 27, 2017.

(Muskogee Now - March 28, 2017)

Massachusetts: Springfield high school teacher and his wife, who is a social worker for the state Department of Children and Families, charged with cruelty to animals following deaths of numerous dogs

MASSACHUSETTS -- A Springfield high school teacher recognized by the White House for his work with at-risk students is facing criminal charges for allegedly failing to care for two dogs that were euthanized last month.

Stefan Davis, 48, pleaded not guilty March 9 in Springfield District Court to two counts of cruelty to animals. A teacher at the High School of Science and Technology, Davis also founded Fresh Start, a program that helps struggling students bring up their grades.

His wife, Mirna Gomez-Davis (Mirna Davis), 42, a social worker for the state Department of Children and Families, also was charged with two counts of cruelty to animals.

A complaint filed by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals accused the couple of failing to provide medical care for Athena and Sorra, both young Neapolitan Mastiffs.

The dogs were emaciated and suffering from multiple medical problems before being euthanized in February, according to the complaint, which claims the couple's neglect resulted in "unnecessary suffering" for both dogs.

Three other dogs, all Neapolitan Mastiffs, were "presented dead on arrival" by the couple at the VCA Boston Road Animal Hospital between 2014 and 2016, according to documents filed in the case.

In a statement to investigators, Gomez-Davis denied mistreating the dogs and said both had been healthy until early January. Athena, a 1-year-old female, stopped eating around Jan. 8 and continued to decline before being taken to the Memorial Avenue Animal Clinic in Chicoppe on Jan. 24, she told investigators.

By Feb. 2, the dog's condition had worsened, despite being prescribed antibiotics. "Every bone in her body was visible and she could barely raise her head" when carried by stretcher into the Boston Road hospital, the complaint states.

Rather than seek further treatment, Gomez-Davis decided to have Athena euthanized to end her suffering and because the dog "was going to die anyway," the complaint said.

The next day, the couple surrendered Sorra to the Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center. The dog, a 2-year-old female, was emaciated, bloated, had a severe eye infection, a swollen vulva and gave off a foul odor, the complaint notes.

She was carried into the center on two "rabies" poles after attempting to bite an employee outside, the complaint said. Citing the dog's poor health and aggressive behavior, the center told the couple she would be euthanized unless they wanted her back.

Why would they EVER consider giving this dog back to them???

With the couple's approval, the dog was euthanized that night, the complaint said.

In her statement to investigators, Gomez-Davis maintained that Sorra was healthy, but was surrendered because of behavioral problems. A death in the family caused a delay in seeking treatment after Athena became sick in January, Gomez-Davis said.

The couple had as many as 10 dogs at their home on Page Boulevard, but Athena and Sorra were the last two. They have no plans to get more dogs, Gomez-Davis said.

A veterinarian who treated Athena described her condition as "shocking" and "decrepit," and called it "extremely abnormal" for a family to have five dogs die suddenly or need to be euthanized in a three-year period, according to court documents.

Criminal complaints were issued against the couple on Feb. 14, and they were summoned for arraignment on March 9. Both were released on personal recognizance and told to return for a pretrial hearing on May 9.

Davis, who teaches English and history, earned $71,472 last year, according to city payroll records; Gomez-Davis collected $63,054 as a state social worker, records show.

(MassLive - March 25, 2017)

(Sept 2016) United Kingdom: Preschool owner, Mary Staniforth, 32, found guilty of starving her dog nearly to death

UNITED KINGDOM -- Marie Elizabeth Staniforth, who owns Acorns Pre-School in Cleator Moor, appeared before magistrates in a two-day trial, accused of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal between January and February this year.

Staniforth, 32, denied the charge, but was found guilty.

West Cumbria magistrates gave her an 126-day sentence, banned her for life from keeping an animal and ordered her to pay a £281.70 donation to the RSPCA and an £80 surcharge.

Staniforth can appeal the ban after 10 years.

Joan Singleton, owner of Fairview Boarding Kennels, told the trial she received a call on February 16 from someone claiming to have found a stray lurcher-type dog on an industrial estate in Cleator Moor.

The court heard the woman had given Staniforth’s mobile phone number and her address in Highfield Road, where the dog was collected from.

Martyn Fletcher, an RSPCA inspector with 17 years’ experience, told the court he had never seen a dog so thin survive.

He said: “It was clearly in a very emaciated condition. It was standing up but was very wobbly and weak on its feet.”

The dog was treated by Millcroft Veterinary Group before being rehomed.

Mr Fletcher told the court he visited the house where the dog was collected to try to speak to the finder but received no reply but spotted a dog cage containing what he believed to be two or three-day-old feces outside.

The court heard the RSPCA launched an appeal to trace the dog’s owner and received about 30 replies, about 25 of which identified Staniforth as the owner or the address, where the defendant had lived, as its home.

Staniforth, now of Gatesyde Place, Eskdale Green, Holmrook, was cautioned and interviewed by Mr Fletcher in March and said the dog, called Charlie, had gone missing during a walk on January 24 and she was not responsible for its condition.

But Hayley Dawkins, a community nurse, told the court she had called at the house on February 3 and noticed a dog matching Charlie’s description in the porch.

Staniforth said she had returned to the route she normally walked the dog to look for him, but without success.

After the hearing, Mr Fletcher said: "There are never winners in situations like this, we are here because an animal has suffered cruelty.

"Families have lives disrupted but animals come with responsibility and if you don't take that responsibility, there are consequences. It sends a strong message.

"Joan Singleton, who initially got the dog in February, has in my mind undoubtedly saved its life.

"There's always help for people if they get into difficulty caring for animals and the RSPCA and other organisations are there to help them.

"The dog is doing really well now and is in a nice place with other dogs."

(News and Star - Sept 28, 2016)

Michigan: Teacher attacked by Pit Bull

MICHIGAN -- Brenda Raleigh Rockingham posted on Facebook September 8, 2016 ·

Kj's last year teacher was bitten by a pit bull yesterday after school. I pray Mr. Smith will have a speedy recovery!

Tammi Powell - Is that the english teacher

Brenda Raleigh Rockingham - Yes

Tammi Powell - I use to work there

Jo Ann E. Harris - God bless the teacher. Speedy recovery. Prayers go out for him

Texas: Students jumping rope with cat intestines was "part of lesson", school district insists

TEXAS -- A Texas school district says no one will face punishment after video surfaced of high school students using a cat's intestines as a jump rope during a lesson.

Officials with the North East Independent School District told KENS-TV the incident happened earlier this month during an anatomy class at Winston Churchill High School.

 

The district said the teacher felt the lesson was "effective" for demonstrating how long and tough intestines are.

"This lesson really was not meant to be disrespectful or degrading in any way. And when the teacher found out that that's how it was being portrayed, they were actually very upset about it," spokeswoman Aubrey Chancellor said.

Chancellor said neither the students nor teacher will be punished because there is no "ill will." But she says the district will update the lesson plan.

Animals rights group PETA told the TV station the school should replace "cruel and crude" dissection methods with animal-free lessons.

(abc13 - May 19, 2016)

California: Ex-Palmdale Schools administrator sentenced in animal cruelty case

CALIFORNIA -- A former assistant superintendent with the Palmdale school district was sentenced Thursday to 270 days in county jail and ordered to attend two-dozen animal cruelty classes for the abuse of 19 pit bulls found at her Antelope Acres home.

Pauline Ruth Winbush, 53, was also ordered to serve five years on formal probation in connection with her April 5 no contest plea to one felony count each of possession with intent for dog fighting and animal neglect.

Co-defendant Kevin Williams, 52, was sentenced to a year in jail, along with 24 animal cruelty classes and five years probation.

Williams — described by prosecutors as Winbush’s boyfriend when the two were charged in 2014 — pleaded no contest to the same two charges as Winbush.

A judge suspended state prison terms of three years and eight months, which the two will not have to serve unless they violate the terms of their probation.

A third defendant, Rodney Scott, 47, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of animal cruelty. He is set to be sentenced next April.

Officers from the county’s Department of Animal Care and Control searched the Antelope Acres property after a horse belonging to Winbush and Williams was found roaming the streets. They discovered dogs being kept inside the home in crates that were filled with feces and urine, according to Deputy District Attorney Lyle Riggs.

Some of the dogs showed signs of being used for dog fighting, and the animals had to be euthanized. Other animals found included a tortoise, snakes and a box full of mice that appeared to be eating each other out of hunger, Riggs said.

At an earlier court hearing, it was revealed that evidence discovered at the property linked Scott to the couple in an operation to breed pit bulls for fighting, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

At the time of the raid, Winbush was an assistant superintendent for the Palmdale School District, whose board voted unanimously last year to terminate her employment agreement.

(MyNewsLA.com - May 5, 2016)

Earlier:

• California: Former Palmdale public school administrator Pauline Winbush, 2 others plead to animal abuse charges

Illinois: Professor Hope Sanchez, 38, charged for lying about finding abandoned puppy

ILLINOIS -- A McHenry County College adjunct psychology instructor has been charged with a felony in a bizarre twist in the case of Woodstock, the “abandoned” 3-week-old puppy previously reported found along Route 14.

Hope A. Sanchez, 38, of the 400 block of Woodbine Lane, Fox River Grove, was charged April 28 with disorderly conduct – filing or causing the filing of a false police report, a Class 3 felony, according to Woodstock Police. Her bond was set at $10,000 and she is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. May 12.

After a week-long investigation, Woodstock Police now say Sanchez received the small puppy as a gift from a Woodstock couple. Sanchez then took the puppy to MCC in Crystal Lake, where she teaches a human development class. She told her students she found the puppy sealed in a pillowcase along the roadside, a story police now say was fabricated.

“The initial report of the dog being found alongside Route 14 in Woodstock has been determined to be unfounded resulting in the ... criminal charge,” Chief Robert Lowen said.

MCC student Natalie Kawell, of Woodstock, volunteered to take the pup to Hoof Woof & Meow Animal Rescue, 129 E. Higgins Road, Gilberts. Kawell did not know the story was allegedly false.

The police investigation revealed a Woodstock couple owns the dog who delivered 10 puppies in the family's apartment. Per the couple's consent, police visited the apartment April 27 and saw the nine remaining puppies, which were similar in appearance and age to the puppy found last week, and determined Woodstock was from the same litter.

After interviewing the couple, police detectives said they learned the couple gave the three-week-old pup to Dr. Sanchez, a therapist, who provides service to one of their family members.

In the meantime, the Woodstock couple allowed McHenry County Animal Control to take custody of the remaining nine puppies, which were then delivered to the care of Hoof Woof & Meow Animal Rescue, where little Woodstock is receiving care in a foster home. The mother of the litter, who purportedly serves as a therapeutic service dog for one of the household members, was not removed from the home.

“The mother of the puppies was subsequently left at the apartment, as no immediate danger was evident,” Lowen said.

The owners of the mother dog and puppies should've been cited for giving away a three-week old puppy. That's way too young!!

Kawell, the student who took the puppy to Hoof Woof & Animal Rescue, said she was very "taken aback" by the allegation her instructor made up the tale of finding Woodstock along the road. Kawell spoke to Sanchez April 28, before the charges were publicly announced, and the instructor "acknowledged what she had done was wrong," Kawell said.

"I just don't know why she said that," Kawell said.

MCC Interim Vice President Christina Haggerty said college administrators are aware of developments in the case and are addressing the matter.

"Upon learning of this development, we have immediately initiated college procedures related to this personnel issue," Haggerty said. "Please be assured that we are addressing this issue in the most appropriate and timely manner, and we are taking every measure to ensure that there will be no impact on our students, or in the classroom."

The response from the public has been tremendous since the original, now known-false story broke last week that little Woodstock was placed into a pillowcase, sealed with duct tape and abandoned along Route 14.

To date, Hoof Woof & Meow Animal Rescue has received 40 applications from people wanting to adopt the puppy, according to Kellie Reed, intake and foster coordinator and cofounder of the agency. With arrival of the rest of the litter, which includes six males and four females, Reed is hopeful she will find good homes for the dogs.

Woodstock is a Beagle / Boston Terrier mix. The puppies will be available for adoption at the end of May.

In addition to Woodstock's litter, the agency has 22 other puppies that will soon be available for adoption. Six puppies are a mix of beagle, pug and Catahoula Leopard dog. Three are Australian Shepherd mix and six are Labrador Retriever mix. Another two orphaned puppies, their breed unknown, will arrive from Memphis, Tenn., this weekend, Reed said.

Anyone interested in adopting a puppy should visit the agency's website www.hoofwoofmeow.org.

The agency is also in need of the following donations: puppy formula, puppy pads, Taste of the Wild puppy kibble, and toys. Donations can be dropped off at Four Legs Pets, 133 E. Higgins Road, Gilberts. Food can be purchased there, as well.

(Woodstock Independent - April 29, 2016)

California: Former Palmdale public school administrator Pauline Winbush, 2 others plead to animal abuse charges

CALIFORNIA -- A former administrator at Palmdale School District and her live-in boyfriend pleaded no contest Tuesday to animal abuse charges, after authorities had to euthanize 19 pit bulls kept at the woman's property.

In an Antelope Valley courtroom, Pauline Ruth Winbush, 53, and her boyfriend, Kevin Williams, 52, entered the plea to one felony count each of animal neglect and possession with the intent of dogfighting, said Ricardo Santiago, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

As part of the plea deal, 27 other counts against Winbush and Williams will be dismissed.

The case began Oct. 29, 2014, when a horse owned by Winbush and Williams was found wandering the streets. Deputies later found scores of animals in poor condition at the couple's Antelope Acres home. Inside the couple's home, the dogs were kept in crates filled with urine and feces, prosecutors said.

Some of the dogs bore signs of fighting with other dogs, Deputy Dist. Atty. Lyle Riggs said at the time.

Snakes and a tortoise were also kept at the home, along with a box with mice that "appeared to be eating each other out of hunger," according to a statement from the district attorney's office.

A third person, Rodney Scott, 47, was linked to the case after evidence surfaced that he was involved in breeding pit bulls for dogfights, prosecutors said. Scott pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of animal cruelty.

At a sentencing scheduled for May 5, Winbush faces 270 days in jail and Williams faces a year in jail. Scott, who is expected to be sentenced at a later date, is barred from owning or possessing animals for a year.

Winbush launched her career in 1989 as an educator at the Los Angeles Unified School District before joining the Palmdale School District in 1992, according a biography that was previously posted on the district's website.

She ascended the administrative ranks, serving as assistant principal and principal before becoming an assistant superintendent of human resources. Before Raul Maldonado was named the district's superintendent in May 2014, she served as the interim superintendent.

In February 2015, shortly after Winbush was charged, the district's board voted unanimously to fire her, the Antelope Valley Times reported.

The district, the fourth-largest elementary school district in California and the largest in L.A. County, serves 22,000 students from kindergarten through eighth grade.

(Los Angeles Times Times - April 6, 2016)

North Carolina: Stephen Joseph Spear, whose animal rescue was recently raided, used to be a teacher who, in 2009, was charged in child porn case

As you may already know, authorities recently raided Stephen Spear's animal rescue and seized more than 600 neglected animals. This article, from 2009, is interesting because if he became a convicted sex offender for crimes against children, did his 'rescue' put him in contact with children? After all, families would bring their children to adopt a pet. Even if the public could not go to the farm, he and his wife Linden Spear would bring the animals to pet stores or adoption events - putting him in contact with children...

 

NORTH CAROLINA -- Stephen Joseph Spear, 61, of the 400 block of Fulford McMillan Road in Raeford, is charged with 18 counts each of second- and third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, according to arrest warrants.

Spear is a speech communication instructor at Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) and is the husband of Linden Spear, who operates The Haven-Friends for Life shelter in Raeford (Hoke County).

Spear is accused of having the images on his work computer, but it was not clear if the pictures were on a hard drive or a portable drive, arrests reports said.

The images showed girls as young as 7 years old in sexually provocative poses, warrants said.

Spear turned himself in Monday and was cooperative, according to arrest documents.

Detective Chad Smith, with the Fayetteville Police Department’s cyber-crimes unit, said the investigation began in January and was ongoing. Smith said he could not discuss specifics of the investigation.

Brent Michaels, a spokesman for FTCC, said the college was cooperating with the investigation.

Michaels would not say whether Spear was still employed at the school, only that there had been a change in his employee status Jan. 14.

In a statement, Michaels said FTCC had policies against anyone using its computers “to create, display, transmit, or make accessible threatening, racist, sexist, obscene, offensive, annoying, or harassing language and/or materials ...”

Michaels said the college would take appropriate action to enforce the policies if a student or employee was found in violation.

Stephen Spear married Linden Spear in 1978. The couple met at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh.

Linden Spear said in an interview with The Fayetteville Observer in 2006 that Stephen Spear had been her “primary source of support.” She said he built dog pens and worked the night shift at the Haven.

Bail was set at $180,000.

(Faye Observer - Mar 3, 2009)

-posted Jan 30, 2016

Earlier:

• North Carolina: Stephen Joseph Spear and Linden Spear collected your donation money and starved the 600 ANIMALS at their 'no kill' shelter, say police
• North Carolina: Couple who operate The Haven no-kill shelter appear in court