Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | Kristen Tuohy | | Judge(s): | Dan Imhof |
Puppy mill - 93 dogs seized
Pleasant Hope, MO (US)Incident Date: Friday, Feb 13, 2009
County: Greene
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Dismissed
Persons of Interest:
» Carold H. Cruse
» Rebecca Cruse
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
Greene County investigators and the Humane Society of Missouri say they've busted a large puppy mill in Pleasant Hope.
Greene County Sheriff's detectives say a tip helped them shut down the facility just in time.
Investigators say someone called them to east Farm Road 26 to check on dozens of dogs inside an unlicensed kennel.
"The odor in the building was so terrible that you can hardly breathe.” Humane Society of Missouri Director of Animal Cruelty Task Force Tim Rickey says," They didn't have food or clean water."
Investigators seized 93 Yorkshire Terriers, 2 birds and 8 Cockatiel eggs.
“The dogs have severe matting that shows years of abuse.” Rickey says, “Some dogs' legs are matted to their bodies.”
The Humane Society and Greene County detectives say when they seized the dogs it may have been the first time they were ever taken out of their two by two foot cages
.
Rickey says several dogs have three to four inches of matted feces hanging off their bodies.
Humane Society veterinarians will also test the dogs for any genetic problems and malnutrition.
Detectives say each dog is evidence against the couple in their 50’s who own the animals.
"Our mission is to make sure the people responsible pay," Rickey says.
Rickey says he'd like prosecutors to file one count of animal abuse for each dog.
"For somebody to profit without providing care is completely unacceptable," Rickey says.
KSPR stopped by hours after the search warrant to ask the owners about the dogs living conditions but they still weren't home.
"It’s just disturbing to see people not take care of the animals that they at some point loved and thought they could handle," Greene County Sergeant Ron Killingsworth says.
"It's our goal to see everyone adopted but we know that may not be possible," Rickey says.
A hearing next week may determine the animals' fate.
The Humane Society says it will adopt out as many animals as it can if it wins custody.
Anyone can call the Humane Society about donating or adopting at (314) 647-4400.
The Greene County prosecutor will decide if charges will be filed.
Case UpdatesA couple who live in northern Greene County now face 93 misdemeanor animal abuse charges after a raid of their property last winter. If they're convicted, Carold and Rebecca Cruse could face a county jail sentence up to one year and/or a fine up to $1,000 for each count.
The Humane Society of Missouri and law enforcement officers served a search warrant on the Cruses' property on Farm Road 26 near Pleasant Hope last Feb. 13. They removed 92 Yorshire terriers and 1 Shih Tzu that they said were living in filthy and unhealthy conditions. Four of the animals had to be euthanized. The rest were nursed back to health and offered for adoption. Oprah Winfrey featured the dogs on one of her shows.
Last September, Greene County prosecutors charged both Cruses with three felony counts of animal abuse. After a preliminary hearing in November, Associate Circuit Judge Dan Imhof declined last month to send the cases to trial court. Imhof doesn't think the Cruses "purposefully" caused injury or suffering to the dogs, as defined in state law.
For the misdemeanor charges, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kristen Tuohy says, the standard is "failure to provide adequate care" by giving "normal and prudent attention" to the needs of the animals. | Source: Ky3 News - January 21, 2010
Update posted on Jan 21, 2010 - 4:45PM |
A Greene County judge dismissed three felony animal abuse charges today against a Pleasant Hope couple in an alleged puppy mill case that drew national attention earlier this year.
Carold H. Cruse, 48, and his wife, Rebecca, 49, were charged with three felony counts of animal abuse, stemming from three Yorkshire terriers allegedly found in deplorable condition at a kennel the couple owned.
Associate Circuit Court Judge Dan Imhof ruled this morning that the alleged abuse did not rise to the level of purposefully causing torture and mutilation to the animals while they were alive.
Imhof said it appears the Cruses weren't good at running a kennel, but that a felony charge was not justified.
"I don't think they started out to torture and mutilate the animals," Imhof told Greene County Assistant Prosecutor Kristen Tuohy.
The judge disagreed with prosecutor's interpretation of the statute's language
After the hearing, Tuohy said she still intends to file up to 43 misdemeanor animal abuse charges against the couple for neglecting other animals found at the kennel in poor condition.
On Feb. 13, investigators searched the Cruse’s kennel and found 93 Yorkshire terriers. Most of the dogs allegedly had a variety of health problems as well as feces, urine or vomit matted into their unkept fir.
The three dogs at the center of the felony charges were euthanized after the raid because of their poor condition.
A probable cause statement from a Greene County detective indicated one of dog’s knee caps was dislocated, another had a fractured lower jaw and an infection that had created a hole between its mouth and nasal cavity. Investigators found the third dog’s matted fur had cut into a leg, causing what police called “tissue strangulation.”
The case against the Cruses got mentioned on the Oprah Winfrey Show, generating enough people to adopt the dogs, according to the Humane Society of Missouri.
David Healy, defense attorney for the Cruses, said he was pleased with the ruling.
Investigators said the Cruses were running a kennel.
Healy declined to say comment on whether his clients were breeding and raising the dogs for profit. | Source: News-Leader - Dec 17, 2009
Update posted on Dec 21, 2009 - 11:02AM |
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