Puppy mill - 150 dogs seized
Elm Mott, TX (US)Incident Date: Friday, May 1, 2009
County: McLennan
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged:
» James E. VanWinkle
» Barbra Mitchell
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
In what sheriff's officials are calling one of the worst cases of animal cruelty McLennan County has ever seen, 150 puppies are homeless today after they were seized Friday from their Elm Mott home by animal control officers.
"The conditions were deplorable," said Chief Deputy Randy Plemons of the McLennan County Sheriff's Office. "Two to three puppies were held in cages that you'd put rabbits in. They were walking around in inches of manure. Their food was placed on top of moldy food."
Deputies also found a barrel of dead puppies, he said.
"I can tell you that this was one of the worst things we've seen as far as animal cruelty," Plemons said of the raid on the Lincoln City house.
Karen Froehlich, director of the Waco Humane Society, said she could not comment on the alleged puppy mill. She said the puppies seized from the Lincoln City home are not the property of the shelter, as a judge has not yet ruled on their custody.
The Waco Humane Society is asking for foster families to house other shelter puppies temporarily so the shelter has room to care for the puppies seized from the Elm Mott property.
Plemons is in the process of compiling the details of the case, including arrests.
More information was not immediately available.
Case UpdatesJames Van Winkle posted a $10,000 bail bond Friday afternoon after being arrested by the McLennan County Sheriff's Office in a cruelty to animals case involving 78 dogs seized from his property because of neglect.
Van Winkle and his wife, Barbara Mitchell, who was not arrested, have been accused of operating a puppy mill at their Elm Mott home, with the dogs living in what sheriff's office chief deputy Randy Plemons described as "deplorable" conditions. Plemons said it was one of the worst cases of animal cruelty the county has seen.
The dogs, primarily Great Pyrenees, rat terriers and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, were taken to the Waco Humane Society.
In a hearing Friday, Justice of the Peace Kristi DeCluitt ordered Van Winkle to pay $10 per day for each dog for eight days, or $6,240, to help defray the cost of the animals' care. As part of an agreement, Van Winkle forfeited ownership of the dogs.
Tom Ragland, who is representing Van Winkle and Mitchell, said both of his clients are in poor health, adding that "things just got away from them out there."
Area residents frequently would abandon their dogs at the couple's home, knowing that they would take them in, Ragland said.
Plemons said that when deputies arrived at the home, up to five dogs were being held in cages meant for rabbits. Feces up to 6 inches high had accumulated in some of the cages, with wet, moldy food nearby.
Karen Froehlich, Waco Humane Society executive director, said the shelter is working with animal rescue groups and the Texas Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for help in dealing with the large number of dogs the shelter received after the raid. She said the Waco Humane Society is overwhelmed by the huge influx of animals in such a short time. | Source: Waco Tribune - May 9, 2009
Update posted on May 9, 2009 - 12:19AM |
The Waco Humane Society was awarded custody of 78 dogs seized last week from an alleged puppy mill near Elm Mott.
James E. VanWinkle and Barbra Mitchell were ordered to pay $6240 in boarding costs for the dogs.
The state alleged that the animals had been "cruelly treated" by VanWinkle and Mitchell.
Around 8:00 p.m. last Friday, Waco Animal Control seized 78 dogs on Oak Knoll Lane. Animal Control told News Channel 25 they had received a complaint about the animals' living conditions.
The dogs were being kept in small crates normally used for rabbits. Each crate had at least two inches of feces and up to five dogs inside. | Source: KXXV - May 8, 2009
Update posted on May 8, 2009 - 11:57PM |
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