Case Details

Hoarding 33 animals - 29 cats found in freezer
Johnson City, TN (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, Jun 10, 2003
County: Washington
Local Map: available
Disposition: Convicted

Abusers/Suspects:
» Lynne M. Giles
» Arthur E. Giles

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

Case ID: 1536
Classification: Hoarding
Animal: cat
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Authorities in Johnson City say the numerous dogs and cats they found in a couple's house Tuesday weren't the whole story. Acting on a tip, Washington County animal control officers came back yesterday and found five more cats -- plus those in the freezer -- 29 of them.

Neighbors said Lynne Giles told them she froze kittens that died because they were descendants of cats once owned by her grandparents and she planned to bury them on their farm in Maine.

Lynne and Arthur Giles were jailed Tuesday on 25 animal cruelty counts and cited on another five yesterday.

The couple pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges in 1999 for keeping nearly 50 cats in their Johnson City, Tenn. home.

Police returned to the Giles home Wednesday after they were tipped by a neighbor who reported seeing a man enter the house overnight to release live cats from the washer and dryer, where they apparently had been hidden before the couple's arrest.

Authorities returned with a search warrant Wednesday and found five live cats in the house. They also searched two freezers and removed 28 frozen cats and one frozen puppy.

Dobbs says the Giles' also have a record of similar offenses in Windsor County, Maine.  The Gileses had similar run-ins with Winslow Police Detective Gina Henderson and state animal control officials when they lived on Bellevue Street in 1998 � although authorities never found frozen animals in their home until this week.

Case Updates

General Sessions Judge Robert Lincoln Thursday reduced Lynne and Arthur Giles' jail term from 100 days to 15 days and their probation from ten years to five years. He had sentenced them on July 8th.

The judge said the Gileses were being more severely punished than some people with felony convictions.

But Lincoln warned the Gileses the conviction stands and if they violate probation by bringing other animals into their house, he could send them to jail again. This was a second animal cruelty conviction of the couple.

The assistant prosecutor says the local animal shelter refused to let the Gileses serve their 100 community service hours there.

Read More: WATE News
Update posted on Jul 19, 2003 - 11:51AM 
The couple remain in the Washington County jail. Bond was set at $5,000, and a hearing is scheduled for June 19.
Update posted on Jun 14, 2003 - 3:52PM 

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References

WBIR.Com
MaineToday.Com

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