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Attorneys/Judges
| Judge(s): | Elizabeth Reisman |
Animal neglect, abandonment - 16 dogs dead
Murrayville, GA (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Sep 10, 2009
County: Hall
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged:
» Michelle Turner Lynn
» Robert Lee Lynn
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A quiet lakeside home in Murrayville became the scene of a nightmare animal cruelty case this week when law enforcement discovered the rotting carcasses of more than a dozen dogs left inside the home.
Hall County Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard said the home was rented by two adults and two children who moved suddenly when faced with eviction.
"We are going to be pursuing 15 counts of animal cruelty," Woodard said. "We’re going to be pursuing some reckless conduct because their were children in the home with the animals and with the horrible state. I think the sum total is 17 or 18 warrants that we’re pursuing and charges we’re going to be prosecuting."
Hall County Animal Control received a call on Sept. 8 about a dead dog in the yard of the home at 7733 Elm Circle.
"We responded and issued a citation for failure to dispose of an animal carcass," said Animal Control Director Mike Ledford.
There was also another dog running loose at the time that the officer told the tenant to contain.
"The officer reacted to what was visible," Ledford said. "That animal did not appear to be in any distress."
Two days later, the landlord and a cleaning service went to the house to clean after the tenants left. When they entered the home, they discovered 16 dog carcasses "in varying stages of decomposition," according to Col. Jeff Strickland of the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities were greeted by a gruesome sight.
"When we returned the folks had moved and gone," Woodard said. "All of these animal carcasses were found. Some wrapped in plastic. Some I believe in Tupperware bowls, under blankets, burned in a fire pit."
Sam Bagwell, the attorney representing landlord Ed Krol, said the rental home was managed by a property management company and he had no idea the former tenants had any pets, let alone 16 on the property.
"(The tenants) had only been there about three and a half to four months," Bagwell said. "They lived there only a very short time."
Bagwell said the tenants were already being evicted before the animals were found because they failed to pay rent and left garbage out in front of the property.
Dogwood Trail resident Amy Lyons said in an e-mail to The Times that her former neighbors were very reclusive.
"I live in a nice neighborhood with wonderful neighbors, we all look out for each other and each other’s children," Lyons said. "New neighbors were not very social. We rarely saw them except when they were coming or going. We never even saw the kids outside playing."
Lyons said she became suspicious that animals might be stuck in the house and looked through a window. She was extremely disturbed by what she saw.
"The house was full of trash!!! Disgusting, can not even put into words," Lyons said in the e-mail.
Deputies have secured arrest warrants for the former tenants of the residence for multiple counts of cruelty to animals and Ledford said Animal Control has further charges pending.
Because the dead animals were in an advanced stage of decay, it is not clear what breed the dogs were. Strickland said he does not suspect at this time that the dogs were used for fighting.
Case UpdatesA woman accused of neglecting more than a dozen dogs to the point that they died and decayed in her Murrayville rental home was arrested Thursday and charged with cruelty to animals.
Michelle Turner Lynn, 28, made her first appearance Thursday before a Hall County Magistrate Court judge via teleconference from the Hall County Jail.
Warrants for her arrest had been outstanding since Sept. 11. She surrendered to authorities at the jail early Thursday morning.
Judge Elizabeth Reisman set bond for Lynn at $1,000 for each of the 23 counts of cruelty to animals.
Lynn’s husband, 35-year-old Robert Lee Lynn, was arrested Saturday on the same misdemeanor charges and posted the same amount of bond Monday.
Arrest warrants allege that on Sept. 5, the couple caused "the death and unjustifiable pain and suffering to 14 dogs and two cats by willful neglect and failure to provide food and medical attention" at their Elm Circle home, which they later vacated.
The couple also is accused of causing pain and suffering to six puppies and one dog that were not provided food and water between Sept. 5 and Sept. 8.
Authorities said they found a filthy home in disarray when they were called late last week to the
address by the property owner. Dog carcasses were discovered throughout the house in various stages of decomposition. Some were wrapped in plastic, in Tupperware bowls, under blankets and burned in a fire pit, according to Hall County Solictor-General Stephanie Woodard.
Officials believe the couple lived in the house among the carcasses with young children.
Five surviving mixed-breed dogs were seized by Hall County Animal Control and brought to the Humane Society of Hall County.
The Humane Society’s president, Rick Aiken, said one of the dogs later had to be euthanized.
"They were not doing good when they were brought in," Aiken said.
The surviving dogs are suffering from ringworm and the intestinal parasite coccidia and are cannot be adopted immediately because of the diseases, which can be contagious to humans, Aiken said.
Michelle Lynn waived her right to a preliminary hearing Thursday. She has an Oct. 8 arraignment scheduled in Hall County State Court.
In Georgia, causing an animal to die by neglect is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in jail and a maximum fine of $1,000.
Aggravated animal cruelty, in which a person "maliciously causes death or physical harm to an animal by rendering a part of the body useless or by seriously disfiguring an animal," is a felony. | Source: Gainesville Times - Sept 17, 2009
Update posted on Sep 20, 2009 - 7:14PM |
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