15 neglected dogs seized - dog-fighting suspected Frierson, LA (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Oct 6, 2009 County: De Soto
Charges: Felony CTA Disposition: Alleged Case Images: 1 files available
Alleged: Gregory Samuels
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A DeSoto parish man is behind bars for aggravated cruelty to animals. 15 dogs were found at his house in Frierson, LA.
Gregory Samuel's father called in a theft complaint to the DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Office but when deputies arrived to investigate they found fourteen pit bulls and one German Shepherd. "Noticed that their health was bad, you could see their spine, you could see their pelvis area, their ribs, some of them their skeletal features were visible" says Webster Parish Corporal Adam Ewing.
They brought the dogs to the Caddo Parish animal shelter because there is not an animal shelter in DeSoto Parish. Shelter Director Stanton Edmunds says "We're doing everything we can to make their stay as comfortable as possible."
Meanwhile, Samuels is charged with fifteen counts of aggravated cruelty to an animal, but there may be evidence of dog fighting. "The kind of collars they had on for their protection, and scaring on their face and their legs can indicate that" says Corp. Ewing but continues it is still early in the investigation.
During the dog seizure, detectives uncovered a dog house on property. Inside, they found skeletal remains of dog along with a collar and chains on the ground. "Basically the dog died in the house, and they never even bothered to bury it."
The dogs found on Samuel's property range in age from six months to five years old and Corp. Ewing says it is aggravating when he sees things like this. "I don't understand why they do this. Why have something if you can't take care of it, it's something i've seen with horses and livestock, even kids. If you're going to have something just take care of it."
Corp. Ewing says there may be more dogs at another location and more charges could be filed against Samuels. Ewing says they will be working on the case for the rest of the week.
Case UpdatesThere are new charges against a DeSoto Parish man. Gregory Samuels is charged with three counts of dog fighting and fifteen counts of not having rabies vaccination records. This after a vet looked at fourteen pit bulls and one German Shepard on Thursday.
Samuels had previously been charged with fifteen counts of aggravated cruelty to an animal. The dogs were found when investigators went to Samuel's house in Frierson, LA to investigate a theft case.
The fate of the fifteen dogs is undetermined due to health issues and what the dogs have been exposed to according to the lead investigator Corporal Adam Ewing. Several rescue organizations are hoping to adopt them.
The animals are being kept at the Caddo Animal Shelter because DeSoto does not have their own animal shelter. | Source: arklatex.com - Oct 8, 2009 Update posted on Oct 9, 2009 - 1:20PM |
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