Alert 5/8/08 The Dogs vs. Junior Horton
PLEASE CROSS POST!!
Junior Horton will be tried on Friday, 5/16/08, at 1pm in Carroll County.
If there ever was a day to speak out for the animals, this is it.
We need you to come to the trial.
This is where it all starts – with the Mr. Hortons of Carroll County, Virginia, and in places like his puppymill there.
Now it is time to say to every citizen of Virginia and every elected official in Virginia that you will not tolerate animal cruelty and flagrant violation of the law.
If you aren’t angry about what this man has done, let this refresh your memory:
Background:
On 11/1/07, Carroll County Animal Control authorities were contacted by Virginia Partnership for Animal Welfare and Support (VA PAWS) concerning a puppymill located in the Town of Hillsville. A team of animal control professionals along with a veterinarian visited the property and found 1,080 small breed dogs of various ages in several locations on the property, including buildings and cages. The owner/operator of the puppy mill, Lanzie Horton, Jr., had a license to keep 500 dogs. He consented to the surrender of 980+ dogs on that date. Source: Carroll County Animal Control Press Release
There was an outpouring of assistance from a network of shelters to aid in this rescue operation. Volunteers from the Washington region joined others from Florida and New York who streamed to the rural town of Hillsville. “It’s been incredible,” Carroll County Administrator Gary Larrowe said. Larrowe had declared a state of emergency after hundreds of dogs were found living in filthy cages. Officials said they think it is the largest suspected puppy mill ever found in the state. Source: Petloverstips.com, 11/11/07; Houston Chronicle, 11/11/07; inRich.com, 11/11/07.
Horton surrendered to authorities on 1/31/08 and was released on $5,000 bond. Source: WHSV, Harrisonburg, VA News. He was charged on 1/31/08 with 14 counts of animal cruelty (punishable by fine of $2,500 and 1 year in jail on each charge), 25 counts of animal neglect (punishable by fine of not more than $500 each count) and one count of failing to obtain a license tax for 125 unlicensed adult dogs (punishable by fine of $250). The charges accuse Horton of depriving dogs of necessary food, drink, shelter or emergency veterinary treatment, and of failing to adequately house, feed, water, exercise or care for animals in his possession. Source: The Roanoke Times, 2/2/08.
What can happen:
Mr. Horton is charged with 14 counts of animal cruelty, and each count is punishable by a fine of $2,500 and a year in jail. If found guilty of all 14 counts, that certainly should get the attention of Mr. Horton and all the other Horton Wannabees in Virginia.
And do you know what has happened since?
Mr. Horton surrendered over 980 dogs, letting others pick up the tab for his flagrant violation of the law as they fed, cared for, and provided veterinary care for that incredible number of dogs.
And are you ready for this?
Mr. Horton is still in business, still selling dogs.
This case broke in November and here we are, 6 months later, still waiting for justice to be meted out on behalf of the dogs.
And after many shelters and rescues in Virginia and beyond spent over a quarter of a million dollars providing medical care and shelter to dogs from the Horton puppymill.
There is information on the case on the Carroll County website giving much information: http://gov.carrollcountyva.org/animalcontrol/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=3&MMN_position=8:8
Remember this and the Bland County fire (the Schmucker case) are the reasons you all worked so hard and were successful in passing HB 538 – Del. Orrock’s puppymill bill. Now we need to you come to the trial. We want a crowd – a large crowd!!
Please don’t say it’s too far, or you have to work. Many of you can make the drive, and many of you can take a day away to do this. It is that important.
We know about the cost of gas, and if any of you can’t attend because of gas cost, let us know and a gas fund will be established, or just call it the tax deduction to VAW (Virginians for Animal Welfare) that it is.
Under any circumstances, get your email machine out and start sending to as many as you can, and tell others, in Carroll County or elsewhere, to do the same. This isn’t a Carroll County problem. It’s a Virginia problem. No, it’s an American problem.
And this is hardly the way Carroll County wants Virginia and the rest of the country to think of it.
Let Carroll County officials know the animal welfare community across the US is watching, and Carroll County is on the radar screen whether it wants to be or not.
Let the people who run Carroll County know that you want Mr. Horton convicted and sentenced to the max – no token fines, no little slaps on the wrist, no more continuances – just do it and convict him, put him out of business, and prevent him from having any further commercial involvement with dogs. He deserves no less.
Here are the contacts, and you needn’t be clever or long-winded. Just say you fully expect Mr. Horton will be severely punished if convicted, and you expect nothing like this will ever happen there again.
The trial starts at 1:00 pm on Friday, 5/16/08 at:
Carroll County General District Court
605 Pine Street; Hillsville, VA 24343-0698
phone: 276-730-3050 fax: 276-730-3054
Clerk: Donna Janette Webb
email: dwebb@courts.state.va.us
Prosecutor: Gregory Goad, Commonwealth Attorney
PO Box 280; Hillsville, VA 24343
phone: 276-730-3091 fax: 276-728-5111
email: ggoad@carrollcountyva.org
Asst. Commonwealth Attorney: Karen O. Boyer
phone: 276-730-3090
email: kboyer@carrollcountyva.org
County Administrator, Carroll County: Gary Larrowe
605-1 Pine Street; Hillsville, VA 24343
phone: 276-730-3001 fax: 276-730-3004
CarrollAdmin@CarrollCountyva.org
These are the members of the Carroll County Board of Supervisors:
Sam Dickson, Chairman, Carroll County Board of Supervisors
David Hutchins, Vice Chairman, Carroll County Board of Supervisors
Wesley Hurst, Member, Carroll County Board of Supervisors
Andrew Sanford Jackson, Member, Carroll County Board of Supervisors
Tom Littrell, Member, Carroll County Board of Supervisors
Manus McMillian, Member, Carroll County Board of Supervisors
MMcMillian@CarrollCountyva.org
Also contact the Carroll County Attorney (different than the Commonwealth Attorney):
James E. Cornwell, Carroll County Attorney
Send a short note to the Carroll County Office of Tourism, suggesting how this case reflects on Carroll County:
Donnie Turner, Chairman, Carroll County Office of Tourism
Please also contact the Commonwealth Attorney for your own county (see your county/city website) and ask them what they suggest you do to draw attention to the Horton case, and ask what they will do if puppymills are found in your own county.
Please contact the State Veterinarian and ask him how he and his staff are working to eliminate puppymills in Virginia. Ask nicely but ask exactly what they have done to expedite proper implementation of Virginia law with the Horton case and other puppymills in Virginia.
Richard Wilkes, DVM, State Veterinarian, Virginia
Richard.Wilkes@vdacs.virginia.gov
Please contact the Animal Control Officer for Carroll County, Terry Woods, and ask what he may need to do his job and make sure the law is enforced, particularly with the Horton puppymill, but also generally in Carroll County.
Terry Woods, Animal Control Officer, Carroll County
A long way to drive for some of you, many contacts for each of you to make, but doing this is why we are all involved. This only gets better if everyone gets involved. You now have a chance to make something happen. Grab the chance and do it.
Thank you.
Lillian Clancy and Don Marro