Nine dogs, nine cats abandoned in home
Bowman, GA (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Aug 21, 2010
County: Hart
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged:
» June Price
» William Eubanks
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A South Carolina woman is facing animal cruelty and neglect charges in Hart County after authorities seized nine dogs and nine cats from her property near Bowman, Ga.
It happened Saturday at property on Ga. 172, the Bowman Highway.
Hart County Sheriff Mike Cleveland said the dogs - mostly Great Pyrenees, Chihuahuas and smaller mixed breeds - were all tied to trees or tied up in the barn.
“On Friday we went out there, and for the third day in a row on our inspection, there was no food except for two bowls that had food in them, but they were absolutely covered in fire ants,” Cleveland said. “I got fire ants all over my hands. We fed the dogs Friday, and when we came back Saturday there wasn't any food put out, and the notice we had posted was still there.”
With the work of a veterinarian and sheriff's deputies, all the dogs except for two that were running loose and all the cats were seized.
The animals' owner, June Price, lives in Belton, S.C., according to the Hart County Sheriff's Office, but her exact address was not known to the Georgia officials, authorities said. Price does not live on the Hart County property but keeps the dogs, cats and other livestock there. Cleveland said livestock in the pasture appeared to be healthy and were not taken.
“They had pasture to graze on and a rain pond that had recently filled up, so they had access to food and water, and it appeared she had put grain out for them as well,” he said.
Cleveland said Price shows up every few days to put food out for the dogs and cats, but had not been there for some time, and officials had not yet been able to locate her Thursday afternoon.
This is not the first time, the sheriff said, that Price has been charged with cruelty to animals. She was found guilty of animal cruelty in 2008. At that time, some 20 dogs were removed from her property. Price signed those dogs over to the county, and they were taken to the Northeast Georgia Animal Shelter in Lavonia.
“We get complaints from her neighbors on the Bowman Highway and find that the dogs don't have any food or water,” Cleveland said. “The last time she was charged with cruelty to animals gave us the right to come on her property and inspect the animals. We've been doing that daily for quite some time now.”
The dogs and cats were first taken to a Hart County veterinarian for examination and treatment, and all but one of the cats were then released to the Northeast Georgia Animal Shelter in Lavonia.
“They're not in the best condition,” said shelter manager Sheri Lockhart. “All of the dogs had been chained to trees with no access to food or water, according to what we were told. They are all are underweight. They are all severely flea-infested. Some have sores and hair loss from constant scratching.”
The animals will remain in the custody of the animal shelter until a judge decides what will happen to them. Cleveland said he is pushing to have the animals permanently removed from Price's custody.
“We currently have a warrant out for (Price's) arrest for cruelty to animals once again,” Cleveland said. “So, we're going to try and get an emergency hearing with a Superior Court judge to determine the fate of these dogs. When it goes to Superior Court, it's possible that if she's found guilty and the court has their say so about it, they could prohibit her from owning animals in the state of Georgia again.”
No hearing date has been set yet. If a judge orders the dogs and cats signed over to the shelter, Lockhart said, they will then be available for adoption once they are healthy.
Records could not be found at the Belton Police Department or the Anderson County Sheriff's Office of anyone named June Price being charged with animal cruelty or neglect by either of those two agencies, representatives of the agencies said.
Case UpdatesHart County authorities continue to search for a South Carolina woman accused of leaving her dogs and cats without food on property she owns near Bowman, Ga., and officials are now also looking for a second person.
Two weeks ago, authorities seized nine dogs and nine cats from property on Ga. 172, the Bowman Highway.
Hart County Sheriff Mike Cleveland said some of the dogs had been tied with chains to trees and some had been kept in the barn with no food or water for at least several days before his deputies seized them.
After receiving medical treatment, the animals were taken to the Northeast Georgia Animal Shelter in Lavonia, where they will be held until a judge decides whether they can be adopted or returned to their owner.
June Price of Belton, S.C., is charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty. As of Tuesday, Cleveland said, Price had not been arrested.
“As far as we know, she's still in Carolina,” Cleveland said. “We've been watching the place (near Bowman) looking for her to come back in out there. If she has, I don't know when it was, because we've been watching the place pretty close. That's not to say she couldn't have slipped in some time.”
Cleveland said his deputies have been patrolling the property regularly since seizing the animals, but so far Price has not returned to feed some livestock - including goats and a few cows - still on the property. He said his deputies have been feeding the chickens that are also still there.
Authorities believe Price is staying across the state line in Belton.
Last week, William Eubanks, who said he was Price's boyfriend, said the charges against Price were false.
Cleveland denied that and said the charges have not been dropped.
In fact, the sheriff said he has an arrest warrant for Eubanks too on a charge of misdemeanor animal cruelty.
“We have a warrant on (Eubanks) too for the same charges, because he claims some of the dogs are his,” Cleveland said. “We asked him which ones, and one was a sheep dog that has been in the veterinarian's office until this past Saturday being treated, and the little Chihuahuas in the pen with no food or water, feces in the bowl, fire ants everywhere. So when he told us they were his, we charged him too.”
Price previously was found guilty of animal cruelty in Hart County in 2008. At that time, animals were taken from her and handed over to the Northeast Georgia Animal Shelter in Lavonia before being adopted.
Cleveland said when the new case goes before a judge in Superior Court, he will ask the judge to bar Price from ever owning animals in Hart County again.
So far, no court date has been set, Cleveland said. | Source: Independent Mail - Aug 31, 2010
Update posted on Sep 9, 2010 - 9:20AM |
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