Dog theft
Mendota, VA (US)Incident Date: Friday, Jun 25, 2010
County: Washington
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: William Joseph Hilliard
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
Just as a peek-a-poo breeder left the Bristol Virginia courthouse last week, convicted of providing inadequate care to his 46 dogs, he was charged again -- this time with felony dognapping.
William Joseph Hilliard, 74, was arrested and charged with larceny of animals, a class 5 felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
On June 25, a woman called the Bristol Virginia Police Department to report that a man in an old blue Chevy truck stole two Boston terriers from her father’s home in Mendota, Va. An investigation led police to a little house on Lewis Street that Hilliard shared with his long-time friend and dog-breeding business partner, Shirley Murray.
Hilliard had the Boston terriers, but told police a man gave them to him, said Animal Control Officer Deena Bouton.
Meanwhile, the house was so filthy and crammed with dogs that police called for city environs control, who posted the property unfit for habitation.
The dogs, mostly furry varieties of poodles and peek-a-poos and Pekingese, were taken to Jones Animal Hospital, the city’s pound.
Hilliard and Murray were each charged with 46 counts of providing inadequate care for their animals. Last Thursday, they were each convicted on 23 counts, fined $25 for each, with all but $100 suspended. Hilliard was allowed to collect five of his dogs and Murray was given four.
The rest became property of the state. According to Karen Lowe, who’s been volunteering at the pound to care for the animals, one puppy died, two dogs had to be euthanized -- one for aggression and the other because it was painfully crippled from lack of medical care. Another was found to be pregnant, expecting more puppies any day now.
Hilliard and Murray arrived at the pound last Friday to pick out their dogs.
Murray said she chose her brother-in-law’s two dogs, to return to him, along with her oldest two dogs, Shmoo and Puppy, both 12-year-old spayed females.
“If I had to do it over, I’d have never started it,” she said of breeding the dogs. “I’ll regret it everyday of my life. It’s just not fair, I don’t think nobody has the right to do that.”
Murray and Lowe were both there when Hilliard picked out his dogs, too. They begged him to take Stubby, an old, blind male dog who they figured they’d have a hard time finding a home for. Hilliard refused. Instead, he took two AKC-registered cocker spaniels, one male and one female, and declared he would start breeding them. He also took Skipper, an old male peek-a-poo, and Tipper and Buffy, both unspayed females.
Lowe offered to pay, from her own pocket, to have his dog’s fixed. He refused.
“It was horrible, we begged him, ‘please don’t take these dogs,’” Lowe recalled. “He should not have gotten them back. It was a total injustice for those dogs.”
The pound hosted an adoption Monday -- 24 people showed up and 24 dogs found homes. Since then, several more have been adopted. Ten, including old, blind Stubby, are still waiting for homes.
Anyone interested should call Jones Animal Hospital at (423) 968-7011.
“I miss them terribly,” Murray said. “But they’re better off being adopted out. Somebody’ll take good care of them.”
Hilliard is scheduled to appear in Washington County General District Court, on the dog stealing charges, at 9 a.m. July 28.
Case UpdatesA 74-year-old man �" who for years sold peek-a-poo puppies from his old, blue Chevy �" was found mentally incompetent to stand trial on a felony dog-napping charge in Washington County, Va.
William Joe Hilliard, already convicted this year of misdemeanor animal crimes in both Virginia and Tennessee, is suffering from severe dementia and has been for years, defense attorney Chris Johnson said.
Hilliard was charged in July with larceny of animals, a Class 5 felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The month before, two Boston terriers disappeared from a Mendota man's yard. His daughter called police with a description of a truck, an old, blue Chevy, seen lurking around the property, police said. The tip led the Bristol Virginia Police Department to a little white house on Lewis Street.
Inside, there were so many dogs �" 48 of them with free run of the house �" and so much urine and feces, that the home was posted unfit for human or animal occupancy.
Hilliard had the two Boston terriers in a kennel in the backyard, an animal control officer said at the time. He claimed that a man in Mendota gave them to him.
Hilliard and his breeding business partner, a long-time family friend who shared his home, were each charged in Bristol, Va., with 46 counts of failing to provide adequate care for their animals.
In court, Hilliard called it un-American for the state to take a Christian man's dogs.
"This is the United States," he said. "They're my dogs. They're no one else's."
He and his partner were both convicted on 23 counts and fined $100. Hilliard got to pick out five of his favorites from the pound and his partner was allowed to take home four.
Of the dozens of remaining dogs �" mostly furry varieties of Pekingese and peek-a-poos and poodles �" a few died and the rest were adopted.
As Hilliard left the Bristol, Va., courthouse that day, the Washington County Sheriff's Office charged him with felony larceny of animals, stemming from the two Boston terriers.
"Dementia may have played a part in his ability to knowingly do anything," Johnson said. "Larceny is a specific intent crime �" you have to know the animals are not yours and that you're not allowed to take them."
Still, the next month, in August, someone called Washington County, Tenn., animal control to report dogs left in an old green Saturn at the Jonesborough Flea Market. There was a cardboard sign in the window, reading "Puppies for Sale," according to Animal Control Officer Wayne Thomas. It was 96 degrees.
When Thomas arrived, he found two shih-tzu puppies crammed into one pet taxi sitting out in the sun.
The officer charged William Joe Hilliard, at the flea market trying to sell the dogs, with animal cruelty.
"He told me he was a preacher; he started putting some kind of voodoo spell on me, speaking in tongues," Thomas said shortly after the incident.
Hilliard was convicted and sentenced to a year of probation and 40 hours of community service, forever banned from the Jonesborough flea market and was forbidden from bringing animals into that county for two years.
Only the felony dog napping charge remains pending.
In September, a Washington County, Va., General District Court judge ordered that Hilliard undergo a psychological evaluation before the court could proceed with the felony charges.
The evaluation, which found him incompetent to stand trial, was filed in court Tuesday. Competency in Virginia requires that a defendant have the capacity to understand the charges against them and the ability to assist their attorney.
Hilliard was ordered to treatment and the case is set for review in six months. | Source: tricities.com - Dec 8, 2010
Update posted on Dec 8, 2010 - 10:45PM |
A 74-year-old Bristol puppy breeder, convicted of animal crimes in Virginia and Tennessee with another charge pending, has now handed over a total of 40 dogs to the two states.
William Joseph Hilliard was convicted Monday of animal cruelty in Washington County, Tenn., for cramming two baby shih tzus into a pet taxi on a hot Sunday at the Jonesborough flea market. Hilliard was carrying around a third dehydrated puppy.
"I didn't think one would make it; I thought the little brown one would die," said Washington County Animal Control Officer Wayne Thomas. "Now, they're all doing really good, and they're gonna get nice homes and hopefully live long lives."
Hilliard pleaded no contest in court Monday, Thomas said. He was sentenced to a year of probation and 40 hours of community service, forever banned from the Jonesborough flea market and is forbidden from bringing animals into Washington County for two years. He was ordered to pay the shelter $66.49 for the dogs' medical treatment. Thomas advocates for tougher regulations on dog breeding and selling in Washington County. It's particularly problematic at the flea market, he said, where people come from states away to sell their puppies to the highest bidder.
"Some of these breeders are just in it for the dollar, they could care less about their pet and just want to pawn it off on somebody. And that really burns me up," Thomas said. "If I get the opportunity to make them pay for it, then I'm going to. But I can't do anything about what happens in Bristol. I wish I could, but I can't."
On June 25, a woman called the Bristol Virginia Police Department to report that a man in an old blue truck stole two Boston terriers from her father's home in Mendota, Va. An investigation led police to a small home on Lewis Street that Hilliard shared with his long-time roommate and business partner. He had the Boston terriers, but told police a man gave him the dogs.
But the house was so crammed with filth and dogs, 46 of them, that the city condemned the property. The dogs were taken to Jones Animal Hospital with rotting teeth and fur matted with dirt and feces.
Hilliard and the business partner were each charged with 46 counts of animal neglect. Several weeks later, each was convicted on 23 counts. The judge allowed Hilliard to get five of the dogs back and the partner got four.
Of the 37 dogs left at the pound, three died, but the rest were adopted, according to the veterinarian.
Then again last week, Hilliard was in Washington County, Va., court on the felony dog napping charge. His lawyer requested a psychological evaluation, calling his mental state "questionable." The request was granted and his hearing was rescheduled for 9 a.m. Dec. 8.
In Washington County, Tenn., permanent homes have been found for the three shih tzus.
"They're all going home," said Thomas. "They'll be taken care of; they'll get the kind of love these animals deserve. So if you're in Washington County, and you don't take care of your animals, one day, I might come knocking on your door." | Source: Tricities - Sept 27, 2010
Update posted on Oct 3, 2010 - 5:00PM |
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