Alert 5/8/07 Court Watch – Six Cases
Here are updates on cases and, unfortunately, some new cases. When open to the public, please attend as many of these as possible.
Supporting those working to get cases to court motivates them to do more, and we plainly need as much vigorous prosecution of animal welfare cases as possible. Too many times there is little done to those who have broken the law.
It is up to us to let judges and commonwealth attorneys and others anywhere in Virginia know that we expect them to prosecute to the fullest all cases of animal abuse and cruelty. If the defendant is innocent, we want that person cleared of wrong-doing, but if not, animal abusers shall not get off easily, as has too often been true.
Here are the cases covered in this alert, listed chronologically in terms of next date of action.
Lexington - dog abuse case
Bland County - puppymill fire
Richmond –
Corgi killed by tethered dog
Fauquier – vicious/dangerous dog
Richmond –
dogfighting case sentencing
Surry – dogfighting case involving property owned
by Michael Vick
The first two listed (Lexington and Bland) both had
an action on 5/7/07. Lexington wasn’t open to the public, and the action in
Bland is the first of several before final outcome is known.
Monday, 5/7/07 LEXINGTON DOG ABUSE CASE
9:30 am –
Lexington
Lexington Circuit Court
The session on 5/7/07 was not open to
the public as it was a meeting of the Grand Jury. A decision about a trial has
not been announced.
This is the case involving Robert Carini who has been
charged with animal cruelty. This was covered by the alert of 3/21/07 (see the
VVAW website to re-read) and involved a dog that suffered a fractured skull.
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Monday, 5/7/07 BLAND COUNTY PUPPYMILL FIRE
This is what I understand is involved:
1. This is the fire in Bland County, VA, on 3/21/07 that killed at least 167 puppies. The puppymill did not have a CPU (conditional-use permit).
2. According to an article in the Roanoke Times on 3/24/07, Bland County Administrator Jonathan Sweet was not aware of the breeding operation, although the puppymill appears on the current list of the USDA breeders, complete with address.
The Wytheville Enterprise has also written about the fire.
3. Meetings are scheduled:
On 5/7/07, the Bland County Planning Commission was to meet. At this writing, the outcome of the meeting is not known, but it had been announced before the meeting that no decision would be made until June.
On 5/22/07, there will be an informational meeting of the Bland County Board of Supervisors.
On 6/27/07 at 5pm, the Bland County Board of Supervisors will meet and vote on the CUP (conditional-use permit) for the puppymill.
This is what I ask you to do:
1. Attend as many of the Bland County meetings as possible.
2. Write letters to the editor regarding the horrors of puppymills.
Roanoke Times: Karen.Trout@roanoke.com
Bland County Messenger: jsage@Wythenews.com
Wytheville Enterprise: jsage@Wythenews.com
NOTE: use the same address for both the Bland and Wythe papers; make
sure you note in the
subject line the name of the paper that should receive your
letter
3. Contact the elected officials of Bland County regarding the horrors of puppymills.
Bland County Board of Supervisors
The Bland County Board of Supervisors are listed here. Each can be reached
by
using this email 1supervisor.bland.co@state.va.us; just make sure
you put the
name of the Supervisor in the subject
line.
Henry
M. Blessing/Sharon District/District
1
John
C. Thompson/Vice Chairman/Seddon District/District
2
Jason R. Ramsey/Mechanicsburg/District
3
Karen H. Hadock/Chairman/Rocky Gap District/District
4
The Board can also be reached by US
mail:
Bland County Board of
Supervisors
P. O. Box 510; Bland, VA
24315
or by
phone/fax:
276-688-4622 –
phone
276-688-9758 -
fax
Bland
County Planning
Commission
Use the same email for Jerry Mercer who is Chairman, Planning
Commission:
1supervisor.bland.co@state.va.us;
put Mr. Mercer’s name in the subject
line
Bland County
Administrator
The Bland County Administrator is Jonathan
Sweet:
email: jsweet.bland.co@state.va.us
mail: P. O. Box 510; Bland, VA
24315
phone: 276-688-4622
4. Contact the State Vet, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Deputy
Commissioner of the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Ask the
State Vet when the Bland County facility that burned was last inspected.
Ask
the State Vet and the others which other breeder facilities in Virginia have
ever been inspected.
Richard L. Wilkes, DVM
State Veterinarian and
Director, Animal and Food Industry Services
ofc: 804-692-0601
fax:
804-225-2666
email: Richard.Wilkes@vdacs.virginia.gov
Donald
G. Blankenship
Deputy Commission, Virginia Board of Agriculture and Consumer
Services
ofc: 804-786-3501
fax: 804-371-2945
email: Don.Blankenship@vdacs.virginia.gov
Robert
Bloxom
Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry
ofc: 804-692-2511
fax:
804-692-2466
email: Robert.Bloxom@governor.virginia.gov
5. Here are some ideas you might want to include in your contacts:
It is because of businesses like the Bland County puppymill that we worked so hard this year to pass HB1853 – the releasing agencies bill patroned by Del. Rob Wittman, but the bill failed.
As the law currently stands, those “releasing” cats and dogs (shelters, rescues, pounds) are required to have those animals sterile, or sterile within 30 days of adoption (with exceptions allowed).
HB 1853 would have expanded the definition of “releasing agencies”.
It would have made puppymills, backyard breeders and pet shops “releasing agencies” as well.
This would have resulted in making puppymills, backyard breeders and petshops responsible for releasing only animals which are sterile (or sterile within 30 days), just as pounds, shelters, and rescues must.
Puppymills, pet shops, and backyard breeders create the flow and add to the problem, and this is unacceptable.
They make money, they are not licensed, they do not have dealer permits, they sell for profit, they do not pay taxes – and their “product” ends up in the public system for you and me to provide care of – and too often, with no homes available - to euthanize.
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Thursday, 5/31/07 CORGI KILLED BY TETHERED DOG THAT GOT LOOSE
1 pm – Richmond
Manchester General District Court; 905 Decatur; Richmond
Steven Dodson has been charged with animal cruelty. He is apparently the owner of the tethered pit bull which broke loose and attacked and killed the corgi next door which belonged to Claire Ward on 3/21/07. The corgi died at a Chesterfield County veterinary hospital.
This is the case in which Ms. Ward called 911 five times, screaming for help, fighting to control the attacking pit bull and save her corgi’s life. An Animal Control Officer arrived 45 minutes later, and arrived before the police came. The police are quoted as saying their response times “were certainly unacceptable”.
Only 5% of dog owners in Richmond buy the legally required licenses for their dogs. The ownership of the dog had been questioned and may still be an issue.
NOTE: I wrote a letter to the editor (Richmond Times Dispatch) on 3/29/07; to my knowledge, the letter has not been published. I will be happy to send you a copy if you ask.
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Thursday, 6/7/07 FAUQUIER COUNTY DOG (vicious or dangerous) CASE
9 am – Warrenton
Fauquier County General District Court
According to the Fauquier Times Democrat of 4/25/07, this is a hearing to determine whether or not the pit bull who attacked the German shepherd of M/M Bryan Delph is a “dangerous” or a “vicious” dog.
The German shepherd is reported to have been attacked on 4/9/07 by a neighbor’s pit bull in a fenced-in area in the Delph’s back yard and sustained severe facial injuries including the loss of both ears and injuries to his front legs.
Mr. Delph is reported to have assumed that Fauquier County Animal Control would confiscate the pit bull, but was told that ACOs could not take the dog until it first had been deemed “dangerous” or “vicious” in a court proceeding.
It is the first complaint about the pit bull per Fauquier Animal Control, and the pit bull was also hurt.
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Monday, 6/18/07 RICHMOND DOGFIGHTING CASE – SENTENCING
2 pm – Richmond
John Marshall Courts Building; Courtroom 302; 400 N. 9th Street; Richmond
This case was the focus of the VVAW alert of 1/9/07 (see the VVAW website to re-read).
Stacey Miller was convicted of dogfighting and animal cruelty charges on 1/11/07. He will be sentenced on 6/18/07. He faces up to four years in prison and $20,000 in fines.
Fifteen of Mr. Miller’s dogs have been cared for at the Richmond City facility although one was stolen during the trial.
I have contacted the sentencing Judge, Judge Richard D. Taylor, Circuit Court Judge, and asked that Mr. Miller be billed fully for the costs incurred by the Richmond pound for keeping his dogs. I have also asked that he provide some compensation for those dogs which lost their lives because there was no space at the pound since Mr. Miller’s dogs took that space.
Please also share your ideas about sentencing with Alexander Taylor, the Commonwealth Attorney who prosecuted the case so well. His phone is 804-646-3500. His email is: Alexander.Taylor@Richmondgov.com
The Judge sentencing Mr. Miller is Judge Richard D. Taylor. His phone is
804-646-6516; his fax is 804-646-0316.
Send emails to: JohnSosa@ci.richmond.va.us
NOTE: This Judge does not like to be contacted about sentencing people.
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no date known DOG FIGHTING CASE ON PROPERTY OF MICHAEL VICK
At this writing, no next steps are known to us. It may be that the Commonwealth Attorney of Surry County, Gerald Poindexter (757-294-3118), is working on the case, but this has not been confirmed.
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Thank you.
Don Marro