Dog abandoned without care while owners on the run Rogersville, TN (US) Incident Date: Tuesday, Sep 25, 2007 County: Hawkins Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Charges: Misdemeanor Alleged: » Melissa Coffey » Billy Joe Coffey

Case ID: 12354 Classification: Neglect / Abandonment Animal: dog (pit-bull) View more cases in TN (US) Login to Watch this Case

A woman accused of stealing scrap metal and parts from a Rogersville salvage yard with her husband and son has also been charged with animal cruelty for allegedly neglecting her dog while on the run from the law.

Melissa D. Coffey, 35, 116 Little Springs Road, Lot 4, Rogersville, allegedly bailed out of a van with her son Thomas Coffey early Saturday morning when Hawkins County Sheriff�s Office deputies stopped the vehicle. She was a fugitive until being arrested in Kingsport Tuesday evening.

The owner of Holston Salvage on Route 66 had previously been targeted by thieves and was staking out his business early Saturday morning when three people in a van entered his business and took spare parts.

Deputies said when they stopped the van the mother and son � Melissa and Thomas Coffey � escaped on foot while the father, Billy Joe Coffey, 47, was arrested and implicated his wife and son as accomplices in the salvage yard theft.

Billy Joe Coffey was charged with seven counts of criminal trespassing and seven counts of theft stemming from Saturday�s incident as well as past incidents at Holston Salvage and the Hawkins County Convenience Center recycling bins on Route 113 in which scrap metal was taken.

Melissa Coffey has been charged with one count of criminal trespassing and one count of theft stemming from the Saturday incident.

She was additionally charged with cruelty to animals after HCSO Detective Jeff Greer went to the Coffey residence Monday looking for her. Although Melissa Coffey was not home, Greer found a pit bull tied to a pole in the front yard.

�The dog appeared to be severely malnourished, and there was no food, water or shelter for the dog,� Greer said in the arrest warrant. �The temperature was in the low 90s. Neighbors advised that the dog belongs to Mrs. Coffey and that she had not been seen for a few days.�

Melissa Coffey is scheduled for arraignment in Hawkins County Sessions Court on Oct. 1.

Thomas Coffey remains at large. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the HCSO at 272-4848.

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References

Times-News - Sept 28, 2007

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