Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Tethered dog found dead, covered in maggots

Tethered dog found dead, covered in maggots
Chattanooga, TN (US)

Incident Date: Monday, Jul 16, 2007
County: Hamilton
Local Map: available
Disposition: Alleged
Charges: Misdemeanor

Alleged: Nelson Clevant

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

Case ID: 11780

Classification: Neglect / Abandonment

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

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A man has been charged with two counts of cruelty to animals after a starved dog was found in the back yard of a house at 1111 N. Hawthorne St.

Nelson Clevant, 60, is due to appear July 20 morning before General Sessions Court Judge Clarence Shattuck.

The second charge relates to a dog that was tied in the front yard and had been kept alive by neighbors who fed it.

Kenneth Boyd of city animal services said he went to the Nelson residence and noticed a decaying smell coming from the back yard. He said he got in through a gate and found the dead dog covered with maggots. It had been chained up.

A public works crew hauled the carcass off.

Neighbors told the officers they had been feeding the dog chained in the front, but did not know about the one in the back.

The dog in the front was taken to the Humane Society.

Nelson told the officer the dogs did belong to him and he had not been by to check on them.

Nelson posted $2,000 in bonds.

Case Updates

A 60-year-old Chattanooga man�s first appearance on charges that he left two dogs to starve has been postponed to Aug. 2.

Clevant Nelson of 1111 N. Hawthorne St. had been scheduled to appear Friday before General Sessions Court Judge Clarence Shattuck.

According to court documents, Chattanooga Animal Services Officer Kenneth Boyd was dispatched to the Hawthorne Street address on July 9 to investigate a report that there was a dead dog in the yard.

�I smelled a decaying smell coming from the back yard,� Officer Boyd said in an affadavit of complaint filed in Sessions Court. �We found no one at home, and we cut the lock and entered the backyard through the side gate.�

The animal services officer said he discovered the decayed body of a dog � still chained � that was covered in maggots. After he took photos, he said, public works employees removed the body.

�A live dog was found chained up in the front yard,� the officer reported, �and neighbors advised that they had been feeding it, but did not know about the dog in the backyard.�

Officer Boyd said he took the surviving dog to the humane society.

He said he was later contacted by Clevant Nelson, who admitted that the dogs belonged to him but said he had not been to the house to check on them.

�Records show that Clevant Nelson was a resident of the house,� the officer noted.

Nelson said he thought neighbors were feeding both dogs.

Source: Chattanooga.com - Jul 20, 2007
Update posted on Jul 23, 2007 - 2:49PM

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Sixty-year old Nelson Clevant is charged with two counts of animal cruelty for apparently starving his dogs. Chattanooga animal control officers found a dead dog in Clevant's backyard, and another dog chained up in the front. Officers say they were both being neglected.

Clevant faces serious charges. "The dog in the back, dead," he said. Nelson Clevant says he had no idea his dog, "Shana" was dead. "If I was here, none of this would have ever happened," Cleveant said.

Clevant faces animal cruelty charges for apparently starving his two dogs. "Is there any reason why you couldn't feed him?" we asked. "I'm not allowed back there," Clevant responded.

The sixty-year old's home is condemned. "If I could go back there, I would have," he said. Clevant says the city banned him from his property, so he hired a neighbor to feed the dogs. "The guy I had going back there, evidently he wasn't feeding him," Clevant said.

One of the dogs survived. "I did what I could do," he added. "It's your job to take care of your property, and if you don't, then the consequences that follow are simply the realities of what can happen," said Humane Society Executive Director, Guy Bilyeu. The humane society is caring for the surviving dog.

"No matter what, people really need to be responsible for their animals," Bilyeu added. Bilyeu says there's no excuse for Clevant's carelessness. "We have to care for them and we cannot slough that responsibility onto a neighbor or someone else that you paying, it's our responsibility," he said.

"They're still your responsibility aren't they?" we asked. "Yeah," said Clevant.

Contradicting himself, Clevant says his dog's death isn't his fault. "He didn't die on my behalf, on my cause, I gave the dude food to take back there."

"How did the one die then?" we asked. Clevant said, "I really don't know."

Clevant posted $2,000 bond and is due in court Friday morning. He faces two animal cruelty charges, hefty fines, and possibly even jail time.

Source: WRCB - July 16, 2007
Update posted on Jul 17, 2007 - 12:23AM

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Tethered dog found dead, covered in maggotsChattanooga, TN (US)

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Tethered dog found dead, covered in maggots
Chattanooga, TN (US)