Hoarding - 111 dogs seized, some cannibalized
Hustonville, KY (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Aug 8, 2010
County: Casey
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Cheryl Turner
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
Another shocking discovery in an animal abuse investigation in Casey County.
Authorities have found about a dozen dead dogs in freezers at a home on Chelf Ridge Road.
The animal cruelty investigation had begun earlier in the week after a neighbor called authorities after witnessing a dog eating another dog. The discovery of the other dead dogs came during further examination of the house on Sunday.
111 dogs have been removed from the property, and either rushed to veterinary clinics or the Garrard County animal shelter. Volunteers with United Rescues of Kentucky and Central Kentucky Regional Humane Society cared for and documented all of the dogs, and set up a triage center. The dogs were tested and vaccinated. Some were in critical condition. One died.
Monday, the moveable dogs will be going to other rescues and foster homes.
Donations can be made by visiting the United Rescues of Kentucky website at www.urky.org, or calling the Central Kentucky Regional Humane society at 859-792-4581.
The Casey County Sheriff's Department has cited the owner of the dogs, Cheryl Turner, for animal cruelty. She's due in court on August 24
Case UpdatesThe Casey County woman accused of neglecting more than 100 dogs under her care pleaded guilty Tuesday in Casey County District Court to one count of second-degree animal cruelty.
Cheryl Turner, 50, of Chelf Ridge Road will serve 30 days in jail and work 240 hours of community service dealing with animals as part of her plea bargain. She also will undergo mental health evaluations and is banned from owning any animals except for her pet parrot.
Turner's official sentence was 12 months, the maximum sentence allowed for second-degree animal cruelty. But the judge suspended 11 of those months as long as Turner does not own any new animals or break state law concerning treatment of animals, a Casey County court employee said Tuesday.
Turner will be subject to random searches of her residence in order to make sure she does not bring any additional animals into her home.
Turner will serve three days in jail every week beginning Oct. 8. She will have four days out of jail because of a medical condition, the court employee said. Once her 30 days have been served, she must begin her community service at an animal shelter, humane society or other court-approved organization. She must complete at least eight hours of community service every week until the full 240 hours have been served.
Reaction
Turner was charged in early August after police found more than 100 dogs living in poor conditions and with health problems at her home. The dogs were removed Aug. 8 in a volunteer raid conducted by United Rescues of Kentucky with help from the Casey County sheriff. They were transported to Central Kentucky Regional Humane Society in Lancaster for triage, where several of the dogs died.
The humane society's director, Mark Hurte, said he and other URKy representatives, including some Casey County animal welfare advocates, attended Turner's hearing and were generally pleased with the outcome.
"I think it was a very charitable sentence in that it was both a win for her and for the animal welfare community, because Casey County has shown that they do believe in animal welfare and they do believe in doing what's right when wrongs are done against animals in their community," Hurte said.
"The sentence is just. The community service element combined with the mental health evaluations are a good thing for her."
Hurte doesn't think the jail-time component of Turner's sentence will be beneficial for her, but the community service hours could serve as a "catalyst to start a change in her life."
Hurte said he suggested to Turner she could serve some of her community service hours at the Garrard humane society, and her lawyer accepted his card and said they would talk.
The resolution of Turner's case also means many of the dogs rescued from her home have escaped the legal limbo they were waiting in and can now be adopted, Hurte said. | Source: amnews.com - Sept 22, 2010
Update posted on Nov 1, 2010 - 12:22PM |
LEX 18 has learned a woman at the center of a Casey County animal cruelty case used to live here in Fayette County and has been accused of problems with animals in the past.
They are the faces of hope. They are worn. They need some care, but before they know it the rescued dogs from Cheryl Turner's Casey County home will have a new life.
The Lexington Humane Society will be a temporary home for the 40 animals. Workers are figuring out their ages and breeds and preparing them for vaccinations.
Sunday rescuers raided Turner's home where she kept at least 100 dogs many with mange. Twelve were found dead in a freezer.
"Oh my gosh. That's awful," says Natasha Chapman who was concerned when she realized Turner and her dogs used to be her neighbor on Halifax Drive. "You hardly even see the lady. She never walked them or anything like that."
Turner was well known to animal control when she lived in Lexington. "We've had her in violation on different things that's issued citation starting back in 2005," says Chief Nathan Bowling. According to those complaints when she lived in her home here in 2008 she had at least 40 dogs.
"You would smell the ammonia smell from the urination and the feces," says Chapman.
Animal Control says she would pay her fines, get in compliance, until the next complaint, but they say there was nothing they could do but continually cite her because there is no habitual offender law.
"What we do is we slow them down with the charges and try to get them educated," says Chief Bowling.
So even though these dogs have been rescued from Turner, there's no law that can stop her from collecting another 100 dogs again. | Source: lex18.com - Aug 9, 2010
Update posted on Nov 1, 2010 - 12:08PM |
It's a big job for a central Kentucky humane society trying to nurse back to heath more than a hundred dogs after they were found living in what officials describe as terrible conditions in Casey County.
The dogs were removed from the property in Casey County and taken to Garrard County on Sunday. A Kentucky animal rights group raided a Casey County home after a neighbor found more than 100 dogs living in deplorable conditions earlier in the week.
The raid began around 11 a.m. Sunday. Dozens of volunteers wore decontamination suits as they rescued the more than 100 dogs. Neighbors who first reported the abuse say the dogs had been living in deplorable conditions. Some were covered in feces, urine and maggots. And in a grisly discovery, workers found about a dozen dead dogs in the home's freezer.
Officials say Cheryl Turner owns the animals. She calls the reports of dead dogs untrue and claims that the dogs aren't in bad shape. Turner says she's also lost her job because of the ordeal.
Sue Craig says she threw up when she first discovered the dogs. Now she's just happy something was done.
"I don't even know if there are words to tell you, how good we feel right now. Just to know that these guys are going to get help, they don't have to live in their own filth, they don't have to live without food and water," she said.
All the dogs were taken to the Garrard County Humane Society, where vets took care of the animals in the most dire condition. Volunteers with United Rescues of Kentucky and the Central Kentucky Regional Humane Society documented and cleaned up the dogs.
The animals are being temporarily housed at the Central Kentucky Regional Humane Society in Lancaster. Soon, they will head to different shelters throughout the Bluegrass where they will be put up for adoption.
Investigators say Turner was charged with second degree animal cruelty and faces more charges in the upcoming days. | Source: Lex 18 - Aug 8, 2010
Update posted on Aug 10, 2010 - 2:09AM |
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