MICHIGAN -- No charges will be filed against a Detroit man whose home was overrun by 80 cats because he called for help, the Detroit Free Press reported Thursday.
Harold Wyman, 66, called an animal shelter to say caring for the houseful of cats was too much for him. The shelter in turn called the Michigan Humane Society, whose members showed up at his home in hazardous-material outfits.
Once inside, officials declared the house a bio-hazard as they scrambled through filth to capture the near-wild cats.
"We turned a couch over, and there must've been 50 cats," said Mark Ramos, a humane society investigator, after he emerged from the one-story brick home. "It's pretty bad in there. Everything's covered. There's parts of the room where it's several inches deep."
The cats were taken to the Detroit shelter for testing for diseases. Those that are healthy will be put up for adoption and the others destroyed.
Nice. They rescue them from horrendous conditions only to kill them.
Since he sought help with the cats, police said Wyman would not be charged with any city violation.
(UPI - May 20, 2004)
Thursday, May 20, 2004
Saturday, May 15, 2004
California: Bryanm Eichholtz, 47, and Susan Eichholtz, 46, plead no contest to felony animal cruelty after starving their horse to death
CALIFORNIA -- A Lake Los Angeles husband and wife were sentenced Thursday to three months in jail and ordered to perform three months of community service for neglecting one of their horses.
Bryanm Eichholtz, 47, and Susan Eichholtz, 46, pleaded no contest in March to a felony count of animal cruelty. They also were placed on probation for five years.
The couple entered pleas during a break in their preliminary hearing after a pathologist testified that the horse probably starved to death, prosecutors said.
(LA Daily News - May 14, 2004)
Bryanm Eichholtz, 47, and Susan Eichholtz, 46, pleaded no contest in March to a felony count of animal cruelty. They also were placed on probation for five years.
The couple entered pleas during a break in their preliminary hearing after a pathologist testified that the horse probably starved to death, prosecutors said.
(LA Daily News - May 14, 2004)
Thursday, May 6, 2004
Oklahoma: Undercover drug investigation led to a major dogfighting operation
OKLAHOMA -- Oklahoma narcotics agents and veterinarians shut down on Tuesday what they said was a major dog fighting and illegal drug network with the arrests of 14 people, an official said.
More arrests are probable in the case, which involved an 18-month undercover investigation, said Mark Woodward, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control.
All of those arrested, who included a Tulsan and a Glenpool man, were being processed in Hughes County, where the major dog fighting operators operated, Woodward said.
Agents from the drug bureau, the District 22 Drug Task Force in Hughes, Pontotoc and Seminole counties, and Oklahoma and Hughes counties officers were serving 22 arrest warrants, he said.
Agents seized 128 dogs, most of which will have to be destroyed because they were trained to kill, he said.
Eight rifles, several marijuana plants, processed marijuana, one gram of methamphetamine, $13,000 in cash, and dogfight-training videos also were seized, he said.
The undercover drug bureau agents attended several fights and saw firearms, open gambling and marijuana use, Woodward said.
"Much of this took place in front of small children," he said. "In addition, these agents purchased nearly 7 pounds of marijuana on six different occasions from some of the dog fighters. On one of the deliveries, the suspect brought his 2-year-old son along for the deal."
Woodward described the Oklahoma operation as a major portion of a nationwide dog fighting ring. Tuesday's arrests involved only Oklahoma, he said.
Five of those arrested live in Wetumka, northeast of Holdenville and southwest of Henryetta, he said.
They included Camille Gann, identified by Woodward as a ringleader of the state group. At Gann's place, 32 dogs were found, along with a building where dogs apparently were trained to fight, he said.
Others arrested from Wetumka were Aaron Johnson, Kenneth Roughface, Linda Johnson and Jessie Bunyard.
Also arrested were Matthew Sanford of Holdenville, Mike Sanders of Gage, Steve Standifer and Ruby Standifer of Macomb, and Lee Broom, Bobby Taylor and Geri Huff, all of Spencer, an Oklahoma City suburb.
Woodward identified Steve Standifer as a referee at the dogfights. About 30 dogs were seized at his Macomb home south of Shawnee, he said.
Julius Griffin, of 611 N. 28th West Place in Tulsa, and Billie Rae Noon of 14005 S. Oak Place in Glenpool, also were listed among those arrested.
Some of those arrested were spectators, and they face lesser charges and punishment if convicted, Woodward said. The major operators face from one to 10 years in prison for each dog used in a dogfight, if convicted, he said.
Hughes County Sheriff Houston Yeager's office processed those arrested Tuesday, but had no information. The Hughes County Court Clerk's Office said no charges had been filed by its 4:30 p.m. closing.
Woodward said the investigation began 18 months ago when an informant alerted agents of marijuana sales. Agents then learned that the drug ring was tied to dog fighting, he said.
Working with the state veterinarians board, undercover drug bureau agents and veterinarians infiltrated the dog fighting group, Woodward said. The agents even bought several dogs and used their contacts to get to dogfights, he said.
But agents didn't put their dogs in fights, Woodward said.
He described the dog fighting group as secretive and selective in setting up and inviting people to dogfights. Participants were escorted to sites, which at times were just staging areas to leave for the actual fights, he said.
"It was very disturbing to view undercover video of these fights," Woodward said. "Frequently, you'd see 20 to 60 people at these fights, including entire families with small children cheering as these dogs are tearing each other apart."
Woodward said veterinarians will examine the seized dogs to see if any can be saved, which he doubted. Shelters in Ada, Midwest City and Oklahoma City took custody of the dogs.
"Many of these dogs had severe trauma, scarring, broken bones and other injuries from fighting. We'd love to see the healthy dogs adopted out. But, because they've been trained to fight and kill, you can never be sure they won't turn on an owner or child," Woodward said.
In February, a Kellyville man and his wife received 10-year deferred sentences for a dog fighting incident on their property in November 2002.
James Fiarris, 57, and Jeanne Fiarris, 56, also were fined a total of $7,500 after their guilty pleas to three felonies of instigating or encouraging a dogfight; keeping a place, equipment or facility for dog fighting, and owning, possessing, keeping or training a dog for fighting.
Facing charges
Alphabetically, here are the 21 people charged Monday after an 17-month investigation of an alleged dog fighting ring based at Wetumka.
Lee Vicker Broom, 42, Spencer: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight, facilitating a dogfight, cruelty to animals, possession of firearms in commission of a felony, marijuana distribution, marijuana possession with intent to distribute, keeping a place or equipment for dog fighting.
Jessie Martin Bunyard, 29, Wetumka: Conspiracy, instigating a dogfight, facilitating a dogfight, misdemeanor marijuana possession.
Jimmy Delozier, 33, Holdenville: Conspiracy, facilitating a dogfight, cruelty to animals.
Camille Gann, 52, Wetumka: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight (two counts), facilitating a dogfight (two counts), cruelty to animals (three counts), marijuana distribution, keeping a place or equipment for dogfighting.
Julius Dean Griffin, 22, Tulsa: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, keeping a place or equipment for dog fighting, instigating a dogfight (two counts), servicing a dogfight (two counts), cruelty to animals (two counts).
Geri Lynn Huff, 33, Spencer: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, facilitating a dogfight (two counts), cruelty to animals (two counts), use of a communication device to commit a felony, marijuana distribution (three counts), marijuana possession in front of a child (two counts), contribution to deprived status of a child.
Aaron Johnson, 27, Wetumka: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight (two counts), facilitating a dogfight (two counts), cruelty to animals (two counts).
Leshon Eugene Johnson, 33, Haskell: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight, facilitating a dogfight, cruelty to animals.
Linda June Johnson, 30, Wetumka: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight (two counts), facilitating a dogfight (two counts), cruelty to animals (two counts).
Jon David McDaniel, 24, Edmond: Conspiracy, possessing a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight, facilitating a dogfight, cruelty to animals.
Michael Newbold, 20, Holdenville: Spectator at a dogfight (misdemeanor).
Billie Rae Noon, 18, Tulsa: Spectator at a dogfight (misdemeanor).
Malik Emmanual Reyes, 25, Oklahoma City: Conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight, facilitating a dogfight, cruelty to animals.
Kenneth Wayne Roughface, 37, Wetumka: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight (two counts), facilitating a dogfight (two counts), cruelty to animals (two counts).
Michael Kam Sanders, 31, Wetumka: Conspiracy, possessing a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight, facilitating a dogfight, cruelty to animals.
Herbert Lee Sarty, 40, Coweta: Conspiracy, possessing a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight, facilitating a dogfight, cruelty to animals.
Mark Anthony Smith, 38, Holdenville: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight, facilitating a dogfight, cruelty to animals.
Susie Ann Smith, 38, Holdenville: Spectator at a dogfight (misdemeanor).
Ruby Standifer, 50, Macomb: Spectator at a dogfight (misdemeanor).
Steven Ray Standifer, 44, Macomb: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight, facilitating a dogfight, cruelty to animals, keeping a place or equipment for dogfighting.
Robert Ervin Taylor, 33, Spencer: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight (two counts), facilitating a dogfight (two counts), cruelty to animals (two counts), using a communication device to commit a felony (three counts), use of a gun in commission of a felony, gun possession after a felony conviction, marijuana distribution (three counts), possession of marijuana in front of a child (two counts), contributing to deprived status of a child.
(Tulsa World - May 6, 2004)
More arrests are probable in the case, which involved an 18-month undercover investigation, said Mark Woodward, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control.
All of those arrested, who included a Tulsan and a Glenpool man, were being processed in Hughes County, where the major dog fighting operators operated, Woodward said.
Agents from the drug bureau, the District 22 Drug Task Force in Hughes, Pontotoc and Seminole counties, and Oklahoma and Hughes counties officers were serving 22 arrest warrants, he said.
Agents seized 128 dogs, most of which will have to be destroyed because they were trained to kill, he said.
Eight rifles, several marijuana plants, processed marijuana, one gram of methamphetamine, $13,000 in cash, and dogfight-training videos also were seized, he said.
The undercover drug bureau agents attended several fights and saw firearms, open gambling and marijuana use, Woodward said.
"Much of this took place in front of small children," he said. "In addition, these agents purchased nearly 7 pounds of marijuana on six different occasions from some of the dog fighters. On one of the deliveries, the suspect brought his 2-year-old son along for the deal."
Woodward described the Oklahoma operation as a major portion of a nationwide dog fighting ring. Tuesday's arrests involved only Oklahoma, he said.
Five of those arrested live in Wetumka, northeast of Holdenville and southwest of Henryetta, he said.
They included Camille Gann, identified by Woodward as a ringleader of the state group. At Gann's place, 32 dogs were found, along with a building where dogs apparently were trained to fight, he said.
Others arrested from Wetumka were Aaron Johnson, Kenneth Roughface, Linda Johnson and Jessie Bunyard.
Also arrested were Matthew Sanford of Holdenville, Mike Sanders of Gage, Steve Standifer and Ruby Standifer of Macomb, and Lee Broom, Bobby Taylor and Geri Huff, all of Spencer, an Oklahoma City suburb.
Woodward identified Steve Standifer as a referee at the dogfights. About 30 dogs were seized at his Macomb home south of Shawnee, he said.
Julius Griffin, of 611 N. 28th West Place in Tulsa, and Billie Rae Noon of 14005 S. Oak Place in Glenpool, also were listed among those arrested.
Some of those arrested were spectators, and they face lesser charges and punishment if convicted, Woodward said. The major operators face from one to 10 years in prison for each dog used in a dogfight, if convicted, he said.
Hughes County Sheriff Houston Yeager's office processed those arrested Tuesday, but had no information. The Hughes County Court Clerk's Office said no charges had been filed by its 4:30 p.m. closing.
Woodward said the investigation began 18 months ago when an informant alerted agents of marijuana sales. Agents then learned that the drug ring was tied to dog fighting, he said.
Working with the state veterinarians board, undercover drug bureau agents and veterinarians infiltrated the dog fighting group, Woodward said. The agents even bought several dogs and used their contacts to get to dogfights, he said.
But agents didn't put their dogs in fights, Woodward said.
He described the dog fighting group as secretive and selective in setting up and inviting people to dogfights. Participants were escorted to sites, which at times were just staging areas to leave for the actual fights, he said.
"It was very disturbing to view undercover video of these fights," Woodward said. "Frequently, you'd see 20 to 60 people at these fights, including entire families with small children cheering as these dogs are tearing each other apart."
Woodward said veterinarians will examine the seized dogs to see if any can be saved, which he doubted. Shelters in Ada, Midwest City and Oklahoma City took custody of the dogs.
"Many of these dogs had severe trauma, scarring, broken bones and other injuries from fighting. We'd love to see the healthy dogs adopted out. But, because they've been trained to fight and kill, you can never be sure they won't turn on an owner or child," Woodward said.
In February, a Kellyville man and his wife received 10-year deferred sentences for a dog fighting incident on their property in November 2002.
James Fiarris, 57, and Jeanne Fiarris, 56, also were fined a total of $7,500 after their guilty pleas to three felonies of instigating or encouraging a dogfight; keeping a place, equipment or facility for dog fighting, and owning, possessing, keeping or training a dog for fighting.
Facing charges
Alphabetically, here are the 21 people charged Monday after an 17-month investigation of an alleged dog fighting ring based at Wetumka.
Lee Vicker Broom, 42, Spencer: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight, facilitating a dogfight, cruelty to animals, possession of firearms in commission of a felony, marijuana distribution, marijuana possession with intent to distribute, keeping a place or equipment for dog fighting.
Jessie Martin Bunyard, 29, Wetumka: Conspiracy, instigating a dogfight, facilitating a dogfight, misdemeanor marijuana possession.
Jimmy Delozier, 33, Holdenville: Conspiracy, facilitating a dogfight, cruelty to animals.
Camille Gann, 52, Wetumka: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight (two counts), facilitating a dogfight (two counts), cruelty to animals (three counts), marijuana distribution, keeping a place or equipment for dogfighting.
Julius Dean Griffin, 22, Tulsa: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, keeping a place or equipment for dog fighting, instigating a dogfight (two counts), servicing a dogfight (two counts), cruelty to animals (two counts).
Geri Lynn Huff, 33, Spencer: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, facilitating a dogfight (two counts), cruelty to animals (two counts), use of a communication device to commit a felony, marijuana distribution (three counts), marijuana possession in front of a child (two counts), contribution to deprived status of a child.
Aaron Johnson, 27, Wetumka: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight (two counts), facilitating a dogfight (two counts), cruelty to animals (two counts).
Leshon Eugene Johnson, 33, Haskell: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight, facilitating a dogfight, cruelty to animals.
Linda June Johnson, 30, Wetumka: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight (two counts), facilitating a dogfight (two counts), cruelty to animals (two counts).
Jon David McDaniel, 24, Edmond: Conspiracy, possessing a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight, facilitating a dogfight, cruelty to animals.
Michael Newbold, 20, Holdenville: Spectator at a dogfight (misdemeanor).
Billie Rae Noon, 18, Tulsa: Spectator at a dogfight (misdemeanor).
Malik Emmanual Reyes, 25, Oklahoma City: Conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight, facilitating a dogfight, cruelty to animals.
Kenneth Wayne Roughface, 37, Wetumka: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight (two counts), facilitating a dogfight (two counts), cruelty to animals (two counts).
Michael Kam Sanders, 31, Wetumka: Conspiracy, possessing a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight, facilitating a dogfight, cruelty to animals.
Herbert Lee Sarty, 40, Coweta: Conspiracy, possessing a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight, facilitating a dogfight, cruelty to animals.
Mark Anthony Smith, 38, Holdenville: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight, facilitating a dogfight, cruelty to animals.
Susie Ann Smith, 38, Holdenville: Spectator at a dogfight (misdemeanor).
Ruby Standifer, 50, Macomb: Spectator at a dogfight (misdemeanor).
Steven Ray Standifer, 44, Macomb: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight, facilitating a dogfight, cruelty to animals, keeping a place or equipment for dogfighting.
Robert Ervin Taylor, 33, Spencer: Racketeering, conspiracy, keeping a dog for fighting, instigating a dogfight (two counts), facilitating a dogfight (two counts), cruelty to animals (two counts), using a communication device to commit a felony (three counts), use of a gun in commission of a felony, gun possession after a felony conviction, marijuana distribution (three counts), possession of marijuana in front of a child (two counts), contributing to deprived status of a child.
(Tulsa World - May 6, 2004)
Friday, April 16, 2004
Florida: Two years after Andrew Bloom was arrested after more than 300 neglected animals found on his property, his daughter Betsy Bloom has been arrested and charged with animal cruelty too
FLORIDA -- A woman has been arrested and charged with animal cruelty, and a shelter has taken possession of a half dozen malnourished horses and donkeys after a neighbor reported seeing a dead horse.
Betsy Bloom, 48, was released from Marion County jail Wednesday night after posting a $1,000 bond.
Marion County Code Enforcement officials had filed a report with the State Attorney’s Office stemming from a complaint about the animals that were kept on 50 acres off County Road 318 on property her family once owned.
The land, which is a few miles from her home, was recently purchased by Al Boyle. Boyle told neighbors he was concerned about the animals.
Dr. Adam Cayot, a veterinarian who has examined the animals, said they were “emaciated.” Their coats “were in poor condition,” he said, which means that they were not being properly feed or maintained.
Code enforcement officials became aware of the animals in late March when Bobbie Burnes and a friend saw a dead horse on the property. They called the Horse Protection Association of Florida, which took photographs. Boyle then had the animal removed from the property.
Boyle, who could not be reached for comment, reportedly asked Bloom to remove the horses, but was unsuccessful, Burnes said. When she did not remove the animals, Boyle bought hay and other food for the horses and the donkeys, she said.
When code enforcement officials visited the property a few days after receiving the call about the dead horse, only six of the 12 horses remained, and they were malnourished, according to Ron Henry, a code enforcement animal cruelty investigator.
On the weekend of March 26, Burnes and friends Henry and Morgan Silver of the HPAF moved the horses - two fillies and two miniatures - along with two donkeys to the Windhorse Sanctuary, where she is the director and vice president. It shelters displaced horses, dogs and cats.
“They had parasites, worms, and one of the donkeys had rashes on his face,” Burnes said.
One of the horses was pregnant. A veterinarian was able to save the mother but not the foal.
Officials were notified that Bloom had moved the remaining horses sometime between March 20 and March 22. Burnes said she briefly spoke to Bloom the week of March 22. In that conversation, Bloom, who was accompanied by a man, told Burnes that she did not know who owned the horses and said the animals’ food and water had been stolen.
Henry said Bloom, who is a fourth-grade teacher at Reddick-Collier Elementary School, has other horses at her home. He said when he began investigating on March 22, he repeatedly tried to contact her.
The following week, Henry said he finally reached her, and she told him he could come and see the six horses. Henry said Bloom admitted that she wasn’t able to take care of the 12 horses.
“Other horses on the property were well-kept, except for one that was in fair condition. But overall, they looked good, so we knew she was capable of taking care of the neglected horses,” Henry said.
According to Laurie Waggoner, director of the South Florida Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Bloom’s father, Andrew Bloom, was arrested two years ago and charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty for neglecting 131 animals at his residence.
Waggoner said officials in south Florida confiscated horses, pigs, chickens, pigs, cows, exotic birds and other animals from the residence. Since that incident, Waggoner said, a civil hearing gave some of the animals to their organization and gave the rest to another animal agency.
Calls to Betsy Bloom’s home were not returned.
Marion County School Board spokesperson Kevin Christian said Bloom has a master’s degree in early childhood education and has 22 years of teaching experience.
(Ocala.com - April 16, 2004)
Earlier:
Betsy Bloom, 48, was released from Marion County jail Wednesday night after posting a $1,000 bond.
Marion County Code Enforcement officials had filed a report with the State Attorney’s Office stemming from a complaint about the animals that were kept on 50 acres off County Road 318 on property her family once owned.
The land, which is a few miles from her home, was recently purchased by Al Boyle. Boyle told neighbors he was concerned about the animals.
Dr. Adam Cayot, a veterinarian who has examined the animals, said they were “emaciated.” Their coats “were in poor condition,” he said, which means that they were not being properly feed or maintained.
Code enforcement officials became aware of the animals in late March when Bobbie Burnes and a friend saw a dead horse on the property. They called the Horse Protection Association of Florida, which took photographs. Boyle then had the animal removed from the property.
Boyle, who could not be reached for comment, reportedly asked Bloom to remove the horses, but was unsuccessful, Burnes said. When she did not remove the animals, Boyle bought hay and other food for the horses and the donkeys, she said.
When code enforcement officials visited the property a few days after receiving the call about the dead horse, only six of the 12 horses remained, and they were malnourished, according to Ron Henry, a code enforcement animal cruelty investigator.
On the weekend of March 26, Burnes and friends Henry and Morgan Silver of the HPAF moved the horses - two fillies and two miniatures - along with two donkeys to the Windhorse Sanctuary, where she is the director and vice president. It shelters displaced horses, dogs and cats.
“They had parasites, worms, and one of the donkeys had rashes on his face,” Burnes said.
One of the horses was pregnant. A veterinarian was able to save the mother but not the foal.
Officials were notified that Bloom had moved the remaining horses sometime between March 20 and March 22. Burnes said she briefly spoke to Bloom the week of March 22. In that conversation, Bloom, who was accompanied by a man, told Burnes that she did not know who owned the horses and said the animals’ food and water had been stolen.
Henry said Bloom, who is a fourth-grade teacher at Reddick-Collier Elementary School, has other horses at her home. He said when he began investigating on March 22, he repeatedly tried to contact her.
The following week, Henry said he finally reached her, and she told him he could come and see the six horses. Henry said Bloom admitted that she wasn’t able to take care of the 12 horses.
“Other horses on the property were well-kept, except for one that was in fair condition. But overall, they looked good, so we knew she was capable of taking care of the neglected horses,” Henry said.
According to Laurie Waggoner, director of the South Florida Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Bloom’s father, Andrew Bloom, was arrested two years ago and charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty for neglecting 131 animals at his residence.
Waggoner said officials in south Florida confiscated horses, pigs, chickens, pigs, cows, exotic birds and other animals from the residence. Since that incident, Waggoner said, a civil hearing gave some of the animals to their organization and gave the rest to another animal agency.
Calls to Betsy Bloom’s home were not returned.
Marion County School Board spokesperson Kevin Christian said Bloom has a master’s degree in early childhood education and has 22 years of teaching experience.
(Ocala.com - April 16, 2004)
Earlier:
Sunday, March 21, 2004
New Jersey: Joan Byron Marasek ordered to repay state for expenses for moving captive tigers
Update: As of October 2013, the Maraseks still hadn't paid their bills. Instead, they filed for bankruptcy and came up with all sorts of reasons to delay it (e.g. trying to claim a bankruptcy judge had a conflict of interest). They'll probably die of old age without having paid one red cent to anyone.
NEW JERSEY -- The Ocean County woman whose private tiger compound was shut down by the state last fall has been ordered to repay New Jersey the cost of relocating her 24 big cats to a Texas refuge.
In November, the Department of Environmental Protection seized the Bengal tigers from the Tigers Only Preservation Society in Jackson and trucked them to San Antonio , ending a court battle over the cats that began in 1999.
On Friday, Superior Court Judge Eugene D. Serpentelli ordered Joan Byron-Marasek and her husband to reimburse the state $144,555 in costs associated with moving the cats to the Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio .
On behalf of the DEP’s Division of Fish and Wildlife, the state attorney general’s office argued the relocation broke the budget of the Non-game and Exotic Species Program, which handles inspections of zoos and similar facilities.
State officials said the tiger transfer cost a total of $290,000, which included the expense of building a facility at the San Antonio refuge to house the New Jersey tigers.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare picked up part of the tab.
State officials say they are prepared to place a lien on Byron-Marasek’s property if she does not reimburse the state for the expenses.
Byron-Marasek lost her permits for the cats after a 430-pound Bengal tiger was shot and killed when it was found roaming in Jackson in January 1999. She denied the tiger came from her 15-acre compound.
However, DNA tests on the tiger's fur matched tiger fur found inside her compound.
State officials subsequently inspected her compound and ruled it substandard, triggering four years of court wrangling.
Byron-Marasek did not attend Friday’s hearing.
However, she did submit legal briefs in which she argued the state wrongfully shut down her preserve. She disputed assertions the facility was substandard and alleged the state’s actions resulted from efforts to force her to sell her property, which lies within a commercially growing area just north of Interstate 195.
(Newsday - March 20, 2004)
Earlier:
NEW JERSEY -- The Ocean County woman whose private tiger compound was shut down by the state last fall has been ordered to repay New Jersey the cost of relocating her 24 big cats to a Texas refuge.
In November, the Department of Environmental Protection seized the Bengal tigers from the Tigers Only Preservation Society in Jackson and trucked them to San Antonio , ending a court battle over the cats that began in 1999.
On behalf of the DEP’s Division of Fish and Wildlife, the state attorney general’s office argued the relocation broke the budget of the Non-game and Exotic Species Program, which handles inspections of zoos and similar facilities.
State officials said the tiger transfer cost a total of $290,000, which included the expense of building a facility at the San Antonio refuge to house the New Jersey tigers.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare picked up part of the tab.
State officials say they are prepared to place a lien on Byron-Marasek’s property if she does not reimburse the state for the expenses.
Byron-Marasek lost her permits for the cats after a 430-pound Bengal tiger was shot and killed when it was found roaming in Jackson in January 1999. She denied the tiger came from her 15-acre compound.
However, DNA tests on the tiger's fur matched tiger fur found inside her compound.
State officials subsequently inspected her compound and ruled it substandard, triggering four years of court wrangling.
Byron-Marasek did not attend Friday’s hearing.
However, she did submit legal briefs in which she argued the state wrongfully shut down her preserve. She disputed assertions the facility was substandard and alleged the state’s actions resulted from efforts to force her to sell her property, which lies within a commercially growing area just north of Interstate 195.
(Newsday - March 20, 2004)
Earlier:
- New Jersey: For years Joan Byron Marasek insisted she was running a tiger sanctuary when she was really just hoarding them, say police
- New Jersey: Judge orders Joan Byron Marasek's tigers to be sent to Texas
- New Jersey: Moving day for Joan Byron Marasek captive tigers
- New Jersey: The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Removes 24 Tigers Illegally Kept as Pets by Joan Byron Marasek
Thursday, March 18, 2004
California: Emma Harter, 72, convicted of animal cruelty toward more than 230 dogs and 60 birds she forced to live in squalor
CALIFORNIA -- A 72-year-old woman was taken away by ambulance after breaking into tears after her conviction for keeping more than 200 Chihuahuas in her Acton home that a prosecutor termed a "house of death and torture."
Paramedics were called to the Antelope Valley Courthouse courtroom to check on Emma Harter, who began sobbing after the reading of the guilty verdicts on animal-cruelty and other charges, and then, after the jury was excused, laid her head down on a courtroom table and wept.
"Miss Harter was very upset. Some medical personnel came and checked her," Deputy District Attorney Stephen Heller said. "She was clearly quite distressed."
After Harter became distraught, the scheduling of her sentencing hearing was delayed until the afternoon. Harter did not appear at the afternoon hearing, and her attorney, Robert Conaway, said he had not been updated as to her condition, officials said.
Judge Lisa Chung put over until Friday a decision on when Harter will be sentenced. Court officials said Harter was taken to a hospital but her condition was not available Tuesday afternoon.
Harter, a retired school cafeteria manager, was found guilty of one count of felony animal cruelty, plus misdemeanor counts of failure to separate sick animals, keeping animals in unsanitary conditions, animal endangerment and battery on an animal control officer.
Harter shoved a woman animal control officer out of her home's doorway in November 2002 when authorities came to inspect her five-acre property, prosecutors said.
While the felony animal-cruelty count carries a possible prison sentence, Heller said he will not seek prison or jail for Harter. He said he will ask that she get counseling, be barred from owning animals and make restitution to Los Angeles County for the cost of keeping her dogs.
"She clearly needs counseling," Heller said. "I personally don't believe she is able to admit to herself that what she did was wrong. It was a difficult case. She's an older lady; it raises some different issues."
About 170 of Harter's Chihuahuas were kept at a county shelter in Baldwin Park at a cost estimated at $2,000 a day after they were taken by authorities from Harter in November 2002. The estimated cost to the county is more than $500,000, Heller said.
Chung, who presided over the trial, in August gave a Burbank Chihuahua rescue group the 170 Chihuahuas, which county animal control officers described as half-wild. The rescue group promised to try to find good homes for the dogs.
Lt. Sheri Koenig, who led the inspection of Harter's home, testified that she had never before seen such conditions.
A video filmed by animal control officers as they entered the house showed dogs on tables and couches, soiled newspapers, dirty sheets, bloated ticks and feces. Outside, dead dogs were found in a freezer and shopping bags stuffed with dog carcasses littered the yard.
Many of the dogs in the house were inbred and suffered severe behavioral problems, forming feral fighting packs, which regularly attacked, injured and killed other dogs. Several died or were euthanized after they were taken from Harter's home.
Conaway (Harter's attorney) LIED AND told jurors that some of the videotaped footage and photos of the dogs were "staged" by authorities. He urged the jurors to weigh what the laws require and not be swayed by the emotional impact of the prosecution's photographs. (Basically he tried to convince the jury that animals are merely property and living conditions and untreated injuries from being attacked by other dogs doesn't matter)
Conaway said Harter raised Chihuahuas for 20 years, and that there is no limit on the number of dogs a commercial breeder can have.
Jurors heard testimony from Harter's daughter, who testified that the home had been ransacked and that filth is a relative term. A veterinarian present during the impounding described the horrific conditions of the dogs.
Conaway (Harter's attorney) called the vet's testimony unfair to his client because the bodies of dogs euthanized or found dead were disposed of before autopsies could be performed.
"She testified and admitted they trashed the evidence of all the dead dogs," Conaway said.
Harter was convicted in 1995 for operating an illegal kennel, but that conviction was overturned on appeal.
Before the jury began deliberating, Heller dropped a second felony animal-cruelty charge as well as a misdemeanor charge of running an illegal kennel.
Harter's dogs lived inside her house in what Heller described as squalor, an overwhelming stench, two to three inches of dried feces on the carpet, and "millions"of ticks crawling on the walls.
Los Angeles County animal control officers said they found dozens of dead and dying dogs among the Chihuahuas in the house. The dogs had dug burrows in the walls and furniture and formed feral packs that preyed on weaker dogs, they said.
Heller said Harter had 235 dogs and 61 birds when officers visited her home in November 2002. There were 32 dead animals, including 23 dogs and nine birds.
Of the living dogs, 14 were "so severely medically impaired"that they were euthanized by county officials, Heller said.
Heller said the dogs' ailments included anemia, bite wounds, tick infestation, respiratory infections, fluid on the brain, multiple types of worms, head and facial deformities, heart failure and tumors.
Jurors began deliberating about 9 a.m. and returned with a verdict about 11:20 a.m. They spent part of the deliberation time viewing for the second time a 75-minute videotape made by Los Angeles County animal control officers of conditions at Harter's house.
(LA Daily News - March 17, 2004)
Earlier:
Paramedics were called to the Antelope Valley Courthouse courtroom to check on Emma Harter, who began sobbing after the reading of the guilty verdicts on animal-cruelty and other charges, and then, after the jury was excused, laid her head down on a courtroom table and wept.
"Miss Harter was very upset. Some medical personnel came and checked her," Deputy District Attorney Stephen Heller said. "She was clearly quite distressed."
After Harter became distraught, the scheduling of her sentencing hearing was delayed until the afternoon. Harter did not appear at the afternoon hearing, and her attorney, Robert Conaway, said he had not been updated as to her condition, officials said.
Judge Lisa Chung put over until Friday a decision on when Harter will be sentenced. Court officials said Harter was taken to a hospital but her condition was not available Tuesday afternoon.
Harter, a retired school cafeteria manager, was found guilty of one count of felony animal cruelty, plus misdemeanor counts of failure to separate sick animals, keeping animals in unsanitary conditions, animal endangerment and battery on an animal control officer.
Harter shoved a woman animal control officer out of her home's doorway in November 2002 when authorities came to inspect her five-acre property, prosecutors said.
While the felony animal-cruelty count carries a possible prison sentence, Heller said he will not seek prison or jail for Harter. He said he will ask that she get counseling, be barred from owning animals and make restitution to Los Angeles County for the cost of keeping her dogs.
"She clearly needs counseling," Heller said. "I personally don't believe she is able to admit to herself that what she did was wrong. It was a difficult case. She's an older lady; it raises some different issues."
About 170 of Harter's Chihuahuas were kept at a county shelter in Baldwin Park at a cost estimated at $2,000 a day after they were taken by authorities from Harter in November 2002. The estimated cost to the county is more than $500,000, Heller said.
Chung, who presided over the trial, in August gave a Burbank Chihuahua rescue group the 170 Chihuahuas, which county animal control officers described as half-wild. The rescue group promised to try to find good homes for the dogs.
Lt. Sheri Koenig, who led the inspection of Harter's home, testified that she had never before seen such conditions.
A video filmed by animal control officers as they entered the house showed dogs on tables and couches, soiled newspapers, dirty sheets, bloated ticks and feces. Outside, dead dogs were found in a freezer and shopping bags stuffed with dog carcasses littered the yard.
Many of the dogs in the house were inbred and suffered severe behavioral problems, forming feral fighting packs, which regularly attacked, injured and killed other dogs. Several died or were euthanized after they were taken from Harter's home.
Conaway (Harter's attorney) LIED AND told jurors that some of the videotaped footage and photos of the dogs were "staged" by authorities. He urged the jurors to weigh what the laws require and not be swayed by the emotional impact of the prosecution's photographs. (Basically he tried to convince the jury that animals are merely property and living conditions and untreated injuries from being attacked by other dogs doesn't matter)
Conaway said Harter raised Chihuahuas for 20 years, and that there is no limit on the number of dogs a commercial breeder can have.
Jurors heard testimony from Harter's daughter, who testified that the home had been ransacked and that filth is a relative term. A veterinarian present during the impounding described the horrific conditions of the dogs.
Conaway (Harter's attorney) called the vet's testimony unfair to his client because the bodies of dogs euthanized or found dead were disposed of before autopsies could be performed.
"She testified and admitted they trashed the evidence of all the dead dogs," Conaway said.
Harter was convicted in 1995 for operating an illegal kennel, but that conviction was overturned on appeal.
Before the jury began deliberating, Heller dropped a second felony animal-cruelty charge as well as a misdemeanor charge of running an illegal kennel.
Harter's dogs lived inside her house in what Heller described as squalor, an overwhelming stench, two to three inches of dried feces on the carpet, and "millions"of ticks crawling on the walls.
Los Angeles County animal control officers said they found dozens of dead and dying dogs among the Chihuahuas in the house. The dogs had dug burrows in the walls and furniture and formed feral packs that preyed on weaker dogs, they said.
Heller said Harter had 235 dogs and 61 birds when officers visited her home in November 2002. There were 32 dead animals, including 23 dogs and nine birds.
Of the living dogs, 14 were "so severely medically impaired"that they were euthanized by county officials, Heller said.
Heller said the dogs' ailments included anemia, bite wounds, tick infestation, respiratory infections, fluid on the brain, multiple types of worms, head and facial deformities, heart failure and tumors.
Jurors began deliberating about 9 a.m. and returned with a verdict about 11:20 a.m. They spent part of the deliberation time viewing for the second time a 75-minute videotape made by Los Angeles County animal control officers of conditions at Harter's house.
(LA Daily News - March 17, 2004)
Earlier:
- California: Puppy mill breeder/hoarder Emma Harter, 64, avoids jail by hiding most of her 40 Chihuahuas
- California: Animal rescue groups want ownership of vicious, feral Chihuahuas seized from breeder Emma Harter
- California: Puppy mill breeder/hoarder Emma Harter won't sign over dogs until she can wiggle out of the $500k she already owes the shelter
- California: In court, Emma Harter pleads not guilty to felony and misdemeanor animal cruelty
- California: Judge's Ruling Saves 170 Dogs - The Chihuahuas, taken from an Acton breeder last year, are to be released to a rescue group based in Burbank early next week.
- California: Feral dogs seized from an Acton breeder Emma Harter, accused of animal cruelty, are being released to rescue groups this week
- California: Chihuahua Animal Cruelty Case involving puppy mill breeder/hoarder Emma Harter, 72, to go to trial
- California: Emma Harter's animal cruelty trial begins as her attorney says she has raised Chihuahuas for 20 years and runs a commercial operation
Tennessee woman, Evelyn Pool, 61, arrested in Missouri with truck full of dead and dying, sick animals
MISSOURI -- A Hendersonville, Tennessee, woman using a rented truck to haul more than 40 animals — some dead, some sick and dehydrated — was arrested yesterday near St. Louis.
Evelyn Pool, 61, was charged with four counts of animal neglect. Pool was being held in Missouri in lieu of $15,000 bond. The animals were taken to a local animal shelter there.
St. Genevieve County sheriff's officials stopped Pool about 11 a.m. after they received reports that her driving appeared to be impaired because of the load of animals.
A horrid smell wafted from the cab of the rental truck, where there were 12 dogs of different sizes and breeds, said Capt. Mark Maples of the St. Genevieve Sheriff's Department.
''When we stopped her, her clothes were soaked in urine and animal feces,'' Maples said. ''There were dead dogs under the seat that were decaying. The smell was something awful. It was not a pretty sight.''
Deputies found more than 40 dogs, along with cats, rabbits and a pet rat, in the back of the truck. The animals had no food or water, and there were up to four dogs in one small cage, they said. Several animals also were found dead in their cages, and one dog was found dead under the driver's seat of the vehicle.
A Humane Society spokeswoman in St. Louis said it was not clear what Pool was doing with the animals. She told authorities she had been evicted in Tennessee and was driving to Nevada to find work. The St. Genevieve County prosecutor's office said animal abuse and neglect charges would be filed today.
Pool left Tennessee a week ago after Hendersonville police arrested her daughter Christine Davis, 28, and charged her with two counts of child neglect. Police reportedly wanted Pool on similar charges.
Those charges are the result of the discovery that the women and two children, 3 and 8, lived with garbage everywhere and no running water at 144 Glenn Hill Drive, police said.
Police went to the women's home to serve an eviction notice, but the women were not there, said Hendersonville police Lt. Paul Harbsmeier. The officers found.
Davis, who was later apprehended, has since been released from the Sumner County Jail on $1,000 bond. Davis' two children were taken into the custody of the Tennessee Department of Children's Services.
Middle Tennessee has recently seen a handful of animal cruelty cases:
• Franklin breeder Jennifer Siliski was indicted last week on animal cruelty charges after 230 purebred dogs and cats were taken from her home Jan. 22.
• Nineteen cats were taken Janis Oberkirsch's home in La Vergne. She pleaded guilty in February to one count of animal cruelty.
• William "Terry" Davis (William Davis, Terry Davis) of Murfreesboro was forced to surrender more than 90 cats in December. He faces 48 charges of animal cruelty.
(The Tennesseean - March 17, 2004)
Evelyn Pool, 61, was charged with four counts of animal neglect. Pool was being held in Missouri in lieu of $15,000 bond. The animals were taken to a local animal shelter there.
St. Genevieve County sheriff's officials stopped Pool about 11 a.m. after they received reports that her driving appeared to be impaired because of the load of animals.
A horrid smell wafted from the cab of the rental truck, where there were 12 dogs of different sizes and breeds, said Capt. Mark Maples of the St. Genevieve Sheriff's Department.
''When we stopped her, her clothes were soaked in urine and animal feces,'' Maples said. ''There were dead dogs under the seat that were decaying. The smell was something awful. It was not a pretty sight.''
Deputies found more than 40 dogs, along with cats, rabbits and a pet rat, in the back of the truck. The animals had no food or water, and there were up to four dogs in one small cage, they said. Several animals also were found dead in their cages, and one dog was found dead under the driver's seat of the vehicle.
A Humane Society spokeswoman in St. Louis said it was not clear what Pool was doing with the animals. She told authorities she had been evicted in Tennessee and was driving to Nevada to find work. The St. Genevieve County prosecutor's office said animal abuse and neglect charges would be filed today.
Pool left Tennessee a week ago after Hendersonville police arrested her daughter Christine Davis, 28, and charged her with two counts of child neglect. Police reportedly wanted Pool on similar charges.
Those charges are the result of the discovery that the women and two children, 3 and 8, lived with garbage everywhere and no running water at 144 Glenn Hill Drive, police said.
Police went to the women's home to serve an eviction notice, but the women were not there, said Hendersonville police Lt. Paul Harbsmeier. The officers found.
Davis, who was later apprehended, has since been released from the Sumner County Jail on $1,000 bond. Davis' two children were taken into the custody of the Tennessee Department of Children's Services.
Middle Tennessee has recently seen a handful of animal cruelty cases:
• Franklin breeder Jennifer Siliski was indicted last week on animal cruelty charges after 230 purebred dogs and cats were taken from her home Jan. 22.
• Nineteen cats were taken Janis Oberkirsch's home in La Vergne. She pleaded guilty in February to one count of animal cruelty.
• William "Terry" Davis (William Davis, Terry Davis) of Murfreesboro was forced to surrender more than 90 cats in December. He faces 48 charges of animal cruelty.
(The Tennesseean - March 17, 2004)
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