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Five dogs dead on chains
Banks, GA (US)Incident Date: Monday, Mar 5, 2007
County: Banks
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Acquitted
Person of Interest: Randall Lamar Morgan
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
PETA recently received several phone calls from distraught Banks County residents who reportedly observed five dogs - who allegedly belonged to Jackson County Sheriff's Deputy Randall Morgan - dead on their chains on Morgan's Banks County property. Photographs of a grisly scene depict these carcasses wearing collars adorned with Morgan's name.
Deputy Morgan apparently claims that he was somehow "set up" by feuding relatives, which some sources in the county government have called "the most absurd thing we've ever heard."
Please contact Banks County officials and urge them to conduct a fair and unbiased investigation into the apparent starvation deaths of these five dogs without further delay.
Please send polite comments to:
Sheriff Charles Chapman
Banks County Sheriff's Office
160 Windmill Farm Rd.
Homer, GA 30547
706-677-2248
706-677-4687 (fax)
The Honorable Tim Madison
Piedmont Judicial Circuit District Attorney
P.O. Box 665 Homer, GA 30547
770-307-3040
770-307-3046 (fax)
[email protected]
Gene Hart, Chair, Banks County Board of Commissioners
Pat Westmoreland, Banks County Commissioner
Rickey Cain, Banks County Commissioner
144 Yonah-Homer Rd., Ste. 1
Homer, GA 30547
706-677-6200
706-677-4330 (fax)
Please send a copy of your correspondence to:
Tara Fulcher, Executive Director Banks County Chamber of Commerce
706-677-2108
706-245-2109 (fax)
[email protected]
Case UpdatesA former Jackson County sheriff's deputy testified in court that four Walker hounds found starved to death on his property didn't belong to him, and a jury believed him.
Randall Lamar Morgan, 59, was found not guilty of four counts of misdemeanor cruelty to animals Tuesday after a Banks County Superior Court jury spent just 25 minutes deliberating his case.
Morgan's 2007 arrest drew the attention of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which encouraged animal lovers to e-mail the Banks County District Attorney's Office and push for prosecution. Before PETA lifted a May 2009 action alert, District Attorney Brad Smith was getting up to 30 e-mails a day about Morgan's case.
The trial lasted two days and included 20 witnesses, including several neighbors who said Morgan hadn't kept dogs on the property since July 2006, according to his attorney, John Timmons.
Timmons said Morgan didn't live on the rural property located outside Homer. The defense attorney said someone other than his client placed collars on the dogs with tags that identified Morgan as the owner. The collars were left behind in an area of the property where Morgan previously kept dogs, according to Timmons.
The dead dogs were discovered chained up, emaciated and decomposing by a relative of Morgan's, who reported the case to authorities. Morgan took a leave of absence from the Jackson County Sheriff's Office during the investigation and later resigned when he was arrested in March 2007, according to Jackson County Chief Sheriff's Deputy David Cochran.
Timmons said the case had "unusual circumstances," and he didn't fault authorities for charging his client.
"The central question was not how these dogs died, the central question was, 'Were these Randall Morgan's dogs?' " Timmons said.
A jury of four women and two men decided they were not.
Timmons said he did not present a theory as to why someone would put Morgan's dog collars on the neglected dogs.
Jurors declined to comment on their verdict after the trial.
Smith said later that he was disappointed with the jury's verdict.
Smith said the case would have been prosecuted regardless of PETA's involvement. It had been scheduled for trial this month in front of Superior Court Judge Joe Booth before Smith took office in January. Assistant District Attorney Sam Small prosecuted the case.
Timmons said he had never seen an organization apply as much pressure on the prosecution as PETA did.
"I think if the PETA advocates had witnessed the trial, they would have understood the verdict," Timmons said. "Unfortunately, they had the attitude that a person's accused, therefore they must be guilty, therefore they must be punished."
Martin Mersereau, the director of PETA's animal cruelty caseworker division, said in a statement from the organization's Norfolk, Va., headquarters that it was "hard not to second-guess the jury, given the evidence against Morgan."
"We thought it was pretty cut and dried, but we respect the judicial system and must accept the verdict, as bizarre as it strikes us," Mersereau said.
Timmons said Morgan, a law enforcement veteran of nearly 30 years, is hopeful to regain employment with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office. While Timmons said his client was suspended for two years without pay, Jackson County sheriff's officials say he resigned.
Cochran could not say whether Morgan would be hired again, noting that as of Tuesday, Morgan had not reapplied for employment with the sheriff's office.
"If some positions are open, there could be a possibility," Cochran said. | Source: Gainesville Times - June 16, 2009
Update posted on Jun 16, 2009 - 11:48PM |
A Jackson County Sheriff's Office deputy turned himself into Banks County law enforcement authorities last week after a warrant was issued for his arrest in connection with the death of four dogs on property he owns.
Randall Lamar Morgan, 58, of a Winder address, faces four counts of animal cruelty after the bodies of four dead dogs were found on property he owns in Banks County. Morgan denied the animals were his, saying he gave the dogs away.
However, Morgan could never tell Banks County Sheriff's Office officials and investigators who he gave the dogs to or where the person lived. A collar was found on one of the dogs with Morgan's contact information.
The case has drawn considerable media attention in the area and has also prompted officials with the People For Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to become involved. Banks County sheriff Charles Chapman said his office has received numerous calls about the incident since news of the dogs' death became public several weeks ago.
Original reports said five dogs were discovered dead, but Chapman confirmed Monday the number was in fact four. All apparently died from starvation after being chained on the property without access to food or water.
Chapman said two of the animals were already decaying when BCSO officials began investigating the scene.
While Morgan denied the dogs were his, members of his own family said the dogs did belong to the Jackson County deputy. Morgan's niece, Cindy Watkins, reported the incident to law enforcement officials.
"All of the evidence from our investigation pointed to the dogs being his," Chapman said.
Morgan was later released from the Banks County Jail on bond. Under Georgia law, the charges in the cruelty case are misdemeanors.
Published reports indicated Morgan has taken a leave of absence from the JCSO and will not be reinstated until the case is resolved.
Chapman said he wanted citizens to know that his office takes cases of this nature as serious matters but noted an investigation had to be conducted before an arrest was made. | Source: MainStreetNews.Com - April 4, 2007
Update posted on Apr 6, 2007 - 6:43AM |
Officials say a Jackson County sheriff's deputy is charged with animal cruelty in Banks County and won't return to work until the case is resolved.
Banks County Sheriff Charles Chapman said Randall Morgan faces four misdemeanor cruelty to animals charges, after four dead dogs on chains were found on Banks County land Morgan owns. Chapman said Morgan was released on four-thousand dollars bond following his arrest yesterday. Chapman said Morgan used to live on the property but hasn't for years.
Morgan, who has 30 years experience in law enforcement, has worked with the Jackson County Sheriff's department since 1995, according to sheriff's Major David Cochran. | Source: First Coast News - March 31, 2007
Update posted on Apr 3, 2007 - 1:08AM |
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