Case Details

Hoarding and neglect of 12 animals
Panama City, FL (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, Jun 11, 2003
County: Bay
Local Map: available
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Connie Givens Zales

Case ID: 1534
Classification: Hoarding
Animal: cat, bird (pet), captive exotic, rodent/small mammal (pet), rabbit (pet)
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A 47-year-old elementary school teacher was charged with felony animal cruelty after investigators found 12 dead animals in her abandoned home in an upscale neighborhood here.

Connie Givens Zales was arrested one day after police responded to reports of a foul odor coming from the house.

Officers found the home littered with feces, urine and garbage in addition to the rotting carcasses, Panama City Sgt. Ricky Carleton said.

"The house was basically abandoned," Carleton said. "You can't walk anywhere in there without stepping in feces. It's very strange."

Zales, a second-grade teacher at Waller Elementary, was charged with 11 counts of felony animal cruelty even though police and neighbors said she no longer lived there. She was being held at the Bay County Jail.

"I know she's been gone for at least a year," next-door neighbor Lisa Buckley said. "We would see her come by every now and again, just to dump stuff inside and leave."

Authorities believe the pets had been dead for some time, perhaps even months. The dead animals included four rabbits, three cats, two gerbils, an exotic bird, a hamster and a hedgehog.

Authorities believe the animals died of starvation and dehydration and were not deliberately killed.

Animal control officers also recovered two live dogs and three cats, which were taken to a veterinarian before being transferred to the Bay County Humane Society. Police said two other cats were still living at the house, and traps were set to snare and remove them.

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References

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