Tethered dogs found dead, children neglected
Oak Hill, OH (US)

Incident Date: Monday, Aug 4, 2008
County: Jackson

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged:
» Felicia Oakes
» John Caldwell

A couple in Oak Hill face some serious charges as a result of an anonymous phone call Sunday evening about the well being of the couple�s children.

The couple is Felicia Oakes, 20, and John Caldwell, 22, who reside in the home with her three children.

According to the report, when Sheriff�s Deputies arrived on the scene at 397 Cozy Glen Road, they found a family living in a dilapidated mobile home with several dead dogs. Deputies reported that five dead dogs in various stages of decomposition were found only feet away from the mobile home in which the family lived. The dogs were still tied up.

Also reported was a trash pile outside the back door where garbage laid. Deputies also reported that the mobile home had holes in the floors and walls. Allegedly the family all stayed and slept in the living room. Deputies also described finding a stench in and around the mobile home was �terrible�. Deputies also found an infestation of fleas.

There were two other dogs living inside the home and one of them was so starved Jackson County Sheriff�s Deputy Patty McCarter stated she had never seen a living dog in such horrible shape.

�There was some lunch-meat, bread, milk, and Mountain Dew in the refrigerator,� McCarter stated, �but there was nothing in the freezer or cupboards for the children to eat.�

�When we arrived on scene at about 3:30 p.m.,� McCarter continued, �the 2-year-old was outside with no shoes on and there was a ring in the yard where they had burned trash that was full of broken glass.�

The Department of Jobs and Family Services was contacted and two children, a 2-year-old male and a 1-year-old female, were both removed from the home because of the alleged living conditions. The oldest child who is a 5-year-old male was visiting his grandmother at the time the call came in.

The Jackson County Dog Warden was contacted to get photographs of the dead carcasses for documentation when the case goes to court.

According to law enforcement, the couple was renting the mobile home. However, deputies said that an un-named landlord claimed he had been trying to get them off his property for a long time because of the way they lived and the fact that they have not paid him any rent for months.

McCarter informed the Jackson County Times-Journal that the Jackson County Health Department was also notified in this case, and they expect the property to be condemned when all is said and done.

McCarter said she would be attending an emergency hearing Monday afternoon regarding the children, and the arraignment for the adults was scheduled the same day.

As of Monday afternoon both Oakes and Caldwell have each been charged with two counts of child endangerment, a first degree misdemeanor and one count of cruelty to animals, a second degree misdemeanor.

References

• « OH State Animal Cruelty Map

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