Alert 9/30/08 October Court Watch
Lots of cases, and lots of opportunity to participate and impact by attending, starting tomorrow!
Every time even one person attends a sentencing or a trial or a hearing, it is noticed by the prosecution and the judge. It tells them that the animals aren’t alone – that you are supporting them.
The phone number provided is the way to let them know you plan to attend the proceedings. Call it! Come!
10/1/08 Wednesday
10:30 a.m.
Prince William County General District Court
9311 Lee Avenue, Manassas, VA 20110
703-792-6141
Defendant: Sandra Cortes
Charges: 28 counts of Animal Cruelty Generally
Cortes and co-defendant, Brenda Dodson (below), operated Assisi’s Animal Rescue Foundation in Centreville. Receiving complaints from neighbors, investigators found 96 emaciated dogs living in filthy conditions. The dogs were impounded. Cortes and Dodson are now incarcerated and face additional animal cruelty charges in Fairfax County.
anticipated action: trial
NOTE: continued from 8/15/08
10/1/08 Wednesday
10:30 a.m.
Prince William County General District Court
9311 Lee Avenue, Manassas, VA 20110
703-792-6141
Defendant: Brenda Dodson
Charges: 28 counts of Animal Cruelty Generally
2 counts of failure to care for animals
10 counts of No Valid Rabies Certificate
Sandra Cortes (above) and co-defendant, Brenda Dodson, operated Assisi’s Animal Rescue Foundation in Centreville. After receiving complaints from neighbors, 96 emaciated dogs were found, living in filthy conditions. The dogs were impounded. Cortes and Dodson are now incarcerated and face additional animal cruelty charges in Fairfax County.
anticipated action: trial
NOTE: continued from 8/15/08
10/3/08 Friday
10:30 a.m.
Caroline County General District Court
111 Ennis Street, Bowling Green, VA 22427
804-633-5720
Defendant: Katherine Gaylord
Charges: 5 counts of Animal Cruelty
Animal control officers called to the Gaylord home on 8/12/08 found 3 decomposing bodies of dogs and 2 dogs severely dehydrated. A veterinarian’s report states that the dogs could have been dead from 3 to 14 days. The surviving dogs were seized and, after a court hearing, permanently taken from Ms. Gaylord.
action anticipated: trial
10/3/08 Friday
2:00 p.m.
Danville General District Court
401 Patton Street, Danville, VA 24543
434-799-5179
Defendant: Angela Lewis Blankenship
Charges: 1 count of animal cruelty – Class 1 misdemeanor
Approximately 20 cats seized from a property on Vicar Road on 6/20/08 were awarded to the Danville Area Humane Society. The owner, Angela Blankenship, was prohibited from owning companion animals in the City of Danville. Once their health improved, the cats were available for adoption.
action anticipated: trial
10/6/08 Monday
9:30 a.m.
Lunenburg County Circuit Court
11435 Courthouse Road, Lunenburg, VA 23952
434-696-2132
Defendant: Wilford Booker
Charges: 5 Counts of Animal Cruelty
Mr. Booker took four horses from Michael Wilkerson’s farm in Caroline County when Mr. Wilkerson faced animal cruelty charges in that county. (Mr. Wilkerson was found Guilty in Caroline County General District Court and appealed his case to the Caroline County Circuit Court. That case is scheduled for jury trial on 1/20/09). One of the four horses has since died while in the care of Mr. Booker. Booker was tried in Lunenburg County General District Court on 3/5/08 and found guilty of animal cruelty. The case was appealed to Lunenburg County Circuit Court and on 8/5/08, he was again found guilty. Sentencing is scheduled 10/6/08.
action anticipated: sentencing
10/7/08 Tuesday
1:00 p.m.
Southampton County General District Court
22350 Main Street, Courtland, VA 23837
757-653-2673
Defendant: Patricia Cohan-Kinlaw
Charges: 1 Counts of Failure to care for animals (21 cats)
1 Count of No adequate vet care when needed
1 Count of No valid dog licenses (22 dogs)
1 Count of Failure to have the required general license
Patricia Cohan-Kinlaw was charged with running an unlicensed kennel and keeping the animals in poor health conditions after police served a search warrant at her home on 6/27/08 and found 22 unlicensed dogs, including 8 puppies and some adults with “open sores around the head areas, as well as dogs showing signs of infections and problems with their hips”, according to an affidavit from Southampton Animal Warden James Cooke. Mr. Cooke also said that he had visited the property previously in the company of a state veterinarian and had noted problems with the animals.
action anticipated: preliminary hearing
10/8/08 Wednesday
3:00 p.m.
Warren County General District Court
One East Main St., Front Royal, VA 22630
540-635-2335
Defendant: Michael Smith
Charges: Animal cruelty, no rabies vaccination; no current dog tags
On 2/28/08, the Warren County Sheriff’s office seized 22 dogs from an unlicensed puppy mill operated by Michael Smith. The dogs were housed in cold and dark conditions and were hungry and underweight. Mr. Smith faces 52 counts of no current dog tags, no rabies vaccination and animal cruelty generally
action anticipated: trial
NOTE: continued from 3/18/08 to 5/14/08 to 6/25/08 to 8/26/08 to 10/8/08
10/14/08 Tuesday
10:00 a.m.
US District Court, Western District of Virginia (Federal Court)
116 N. Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22801
540-434-3181
Defendant: Charles Kingrea
Charges: Cockfighting; illegal gambling
Kingrea and two co-defendants, Dale Moreland and Luis Martinez, operated a cockfighting ring in Page County, VA, and were charged with conspiring to sponsor and exhibit an animal fighting venue, with financing a gambling business involving betting, and with interstate money laundering. Kingrea pleaded guilty to the charges against him prior to his scheduled trial date of 6/12-13/08. He and his co-defendants, Moreland and Martinez, are scheduled for sentencing on 10/3/08.
action anticipated: sentencing
NOTE: This case has been continued by Order of the Court from 10/3/08 to 10/14/08.
10/14/08 Tuesday
10:30 a.m.
US District Court, Western District of Virginia (Federal Court)
116 N. Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22801
540-434-3181
Defendant: Dale Edward Moreland
Charges: Cockfighting; illegal gambling
Moreland and two co-defendants, Luis Martinez and Charles Kingrea, operated a cockfighting ring in Page County, VA, and were charged with conspiring to sponsor and exhibit an animal fighting venue, with financing a gambling business involving betting, and with interstate money laundering. Moreland pleaded guilty to the charges against him prior to his scheduled trial date. He and his co-defendants, Martinez and Kingrea, are scheduled for sentencing on 10/3/08.
action anticipated: sentencing
NOTE: This case has been continued by Order of the Court from 10/3/08 to 10/14/08.
10/14/08 Tuesday
11:30 a.m.
US District Court, Western District of Virginia (Federal Court)
116 N. Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22801
540-434-3181
Defendant: Luis Aguirre Martinez
Charges: Cockfighting; illegal gambling
Martinez and two co-defendants, Dale Moreland and Charles Kingrea, operated a cockfighting ring in Page County, VA, and were charged with conspiring to sponsor and exhibit an animal fighting venue, with financing a gambling business involving betting, and with interstate money laundering. Martinez pleaded guilty to the charges against him prior to his scheduled trial date. He and his co-defendants, Moreland and Kingrea, are scheduled for sentencing on 10/3/08.
action anticipated: sentencing
NOTE: This case has been continued by Order of the Court from 10/3/08 to 10/14/08.
10/15/08 Wednesday
11:00 a.m.
Hanover County Circuit Court
7507 Library Drive, Hanover, VA 23069
804-365-6120
Defendant: Judy Morton
Charge: 1 Count of dangerous/vicious dog
action anticipated: trial
10/16/08 Thursday
2:00 pm
Chesapeake General District Court
307 Albemarle Drive
757-382-3134
Defendant: David J. MacGillivary
Charges: 2 counts of animal cruelty generally
According to Chesapeake police, David MacGillivary and Thomas Todd (who pleaded guilty for his part in the killing), clubbed a mother goose and five of her goslings to death on 6/27/08 on Basin Road near the Atlantic Yacht Basin.
action anticipated: trial
10/21/08 Tuesday
9:00 a.m.
Richmond County Circuit Court
101 Court Circle, Warsaw, VA 22572
804-333-3781
Defendant: Christy Ross Davis
Charges: 1 Count of stealing a dog
1 Count of abandoning/dumping an animal
This is an appeal from the Richmond County General District Court, where Christy Ross Davis was found guilty on 7/11/08 of stealing a dog and abandoning an animal. Ms. Davis is the daughter of Mary Gale Gordon (see case below) and is being tried with Ms. Gordon. A one day trial is anticipated.
action anticipated: jury trial
10/21/08 Tuesday
9:00 a.m.
Richmond County Circuit Court
101 Court Circle, Warsaw, VA 22572
804-333-3781
Defendant: Mary Gale Gordon
Charges: 1 Count of stealing a dog
Mary Gale Gordon is the mother of Christy Ross Davis (above) who was found guilty in Richmond General District Court of stealing a dog on 7/11/08. Ms. Gordon was indicted by the Grand Jury on 7/28/08. A one day trial has been set for 10/21/08. Both defendants (Ms Davis and Ms Gordon) will be tried at the same time.
action anticipated: jury trial
10/30/08 Thursday
10:45 a.m.
Fairfax County General District Court
4110 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, VA 22030
703-691-7320
Defendant: Sandra Cortes
Charges: 5 counts of Animal Cruelty Generally
On 7/18/08, Fairfax County police found six dogs inside a vacant home in Alexandria. Police say the dogs had no food or water and the floors were covered with animal waste. At the time, Cortes was free on bond after having been arrested in Prince William County. A condition of the bond was that Ms Cortes was not to have contact with animals. As a result, bond has been revoked and Ms Cortes (along with co-defendant Brenda Dodson) is in jail. Fairfax County authorities have charged each of the women with two counts of grand larceny, claiming that the dogs were stolen rather than rescued, and six counts of animal cruelty.
anticipated action: trial