Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | Erin Oliver | | Defense(s): | Floyd Griffith | | Judge(s): | Allen Register |
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Dozens of greyhounds found dead, trainer charged
Ebro, FL (US)Incident Date: Friday, Oct 29, 2010
County: Washington
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 3 files available
Alleged: Ronnie John Williams
Case Updates: 8 update(s) available
A greyhound trainer is facing a charge of animal cruelty and may face additional charges as the investigation into the deaths of at least 20 dogs at Ebro Greyhound Park continues.
The dogs were found dead in the kennels at the track Friday by investigators with the Florida Department of Pari-Mutuel Wagering who were looking into a complaint they received from a greyhound adoption agency.
Trainer Ronnie Williams was arrested by the Washington County Sheriff's Office on Friday and on Saturday was facing at least one charge of animal cruelty, Mark Hess, assistant general manager of the park, said. Hess said more charges are expected.
It is not immediately known exactly how many dogs died or when and how it happened. Officials have said they are waiting on necropsy results, but the complaint that triggered the investigation was spawned by underweight dogs being turned over to Greyhound Pets of America, Hess said.
Calls to Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock were not returned and personnel at the Sheriff's Office said no one would be available for comment on the case until Monday. They also refused to release Williams' mug shot until Monday.
The Pari-Mutuel Wagering Department would only confirm and investigation into the death of several dogs was under way at Ebro.
At the end of the racing season, which closed Sept. 25, the park returned each dog's documentation to the trainers and gave them 60 days to remove their dogs from the kennel either by putting them up for adoption or moving them to another track. Hess said he did not know how many animals Williams had at Ebro. At least 20 dogs are dead.
Five dogs were found alive in the kennel. Four of them are being held by the state and are doing well and one was taken to a veterinarian for immediate care, Hess said.
Individual trainers are contractors with the track and are responsible for their own kennels and the health of their dogs, Hess said. Ebro and state officials inspect the kennels at random during the season, but have not done a sweep since the track closed. During the season Williams' dogs were healthy and winning important races, Hess said.
"We're shocked, appalled, pissed off and all around disappointed," Hess said.
Ebro is cooperating with the investigation, he added.
The red flag on Williams and his dogs went up on Monday when he delivered eight dogs to Greyhound Pets of America's Emerald Coast chapter, GPAEC board member Roger Spencer said. The group had been advised Williams would be bringing 10 dogs and combined with the thin condition of the eight, they notified their national chapter and the National Greyhound Association on Tuesday and Wednesday and then the Pari-mutuel Wagering Department on Thursday.
The situation is especially perplexing because the dogs were not abandoned, Hess said. Williams continued to come to the track daily and turn out two dogs, telling other trainers he only had those two animals left.
Hess and Rogers expressed frustration because this did not have to happen. Both Ebro and GPAEC have told trainers repeatedly they will take any animals they are not able to move to other tracks or adopt out themselves. GPAEC also makes food available for trainers who are in need.
"We thought we had an excellent working relationship with the people within the compound and we do for the most part," he said. "There's no indication why this man ignored our promise and plea to take every greyhound."
This is not the first time Williams has had a run in with track officials. Hess said Williams is a "troublemaker" and had been told before the close of the season his contract would not be renewed in the spring. He declined to be specific, but said previous problems did not involve neglect of the dogs.
Rogers said GPAEC has adopted out more than 715 dogs this year and has not turned away a single animal. This is a record for the group as the economy has caused many trainers to "grade off" substantial numbers of dogs.
Case UpdatesThe state attorney's office will not pursue animal abuse charges in connection to several dead greyhounds found Oct. 31.
A boy discovered the badly decomposed greyhound carcasses under a bridge along State Road 20 near the Walton-Washington County line.
Two of the 11 dogs had tattoos on the inside of their ears that indicated they were racing dogs, but tracking down the owner was hampered by the decomposition of the bodies.
A link between the dogs discovered in Walton County and more than 30 dead and emaciated greyhounds found earlier at Ebro Greyhound Park in Washington County could not be sufficiently proven, according to a Walton County Sheriff's Office report issued Monday.
Ronnie Williams, 36, was arrested in late October and charged with 37 counts of animal cruelty in connection to the dogs found at Ebro. Williams was a dog owner and trainer at the track.
He was a suspect in the Walton County case. According to the sheriff's report, he lives in Washington County about a half-mile from where the animals were found under the bridge.
During the investigation, deputies learned that one of the greyhounds belonged to a local litter and another dog was known to race at Ebro.
"Both greyhounds are shown as racing at the Ebro Greyhound Track where Ronnie Williams was the owner/operator of the No Limits Kennel," the report said. "At least one of these dogs was discovered dead and disposed of in Walton County."
The Sheriff's Office filed a warrant for Williams' arrest in late December. The state attorney's office returned the warrant for "insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges," according to the sheriff's report.
"Our investigators conducted a thorough and methodical investigation and we provided findings to the state attorney's office for review and they found the evidence to be insufficient," said Sheriff's Office spokesman Michael Morrison.
"If further evidence is discovered, we will of course look into the matter," Morrison said. "The case is closed as of now, however." | Source: thedestinlog.com - Jan 5, 2011
Update posted on Jan 6, 2011 - 11:49AM |
The state attorney's office will not pursue animal abuse charges in connection to several dead greyhounds found Oct. 31.
A boy discovered the badly decomposed greyhound carcasses under a bridge along State Road 20 near the Walton-Washington County line.
Two of the 11 dogs had tattoos on the inside of their ears that indicated they were racing dogs, but tracking down the owner was hampered by the decomposition of the bodies.
A link between the dogs discovered in Walton County and more than 30 dead and emaciated greyhounds found earlier at Ebro Greyhound Park in Washington County could not be sufficiently proven, according to a Walton County Sheriff's Office report issued Monday.
Ronnie Williams, 36, was arrested in late October and charged with 37 counts of animal cruelty in connection to the dogs found at Ebro. Williams was a dog owner and trainer at the track.
He was a suspect in the Walton County case. According to the sheriff's report, he lives in Washington County about a half-mile from where the animals were found under the bridge.
During the investigation, deputies learned that one of the greyhounds belonged to a local litter and another dog was known to race at Ebro.
"Both greyhounds are shown as racing at the Ebro Greyhound Track where Ronnie Williams was the owner/operator of the No Limits Kennel," the report said. "At least one of these dogs was discovered dead and disposed of in Walton County."
The Sheriff's Office filed a warrant for Williams' arrest in late December. The state attorney's office returned the warrant for "insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges," according to the sheriff's report.
"Our investigators conducted a thorough and methodical investigation and we provided findings to the state attorney's office for review and they found the evidence to be insufficient," said Sheriff's Office spokesman Michael Morrison.
"If further evidence is discovered, we will of course look into the matter," Morrison said. "The case is closed as of now, however." | Source: thedestinlog.com - Jan 5, 2011
Update posted on Jan 6, 2011 - 11:49AM |
A Washington County man accused of killing more than 30 Greyhound racing dogs now has legal representation.
A judge appointed a public defender for 36 year old Ronald Williams Monday morning, as he plead 'not guilty' to 42 counts of felony animal cruelty.
The charges stem from the October 29th discovery of dozens of dead dogs at an Ebro Greyhound Park kennel.
36 year old Ronald Williams walked into the Washington County Courtroom Monday without any legal representation.
And he didn't seem too concerned about the 42 counts of animal cruelty he is currently facing.
"32 counts of felony cruelty to animals and in case number 414, ten counts of felony cruelty to animals," says Assistant State Attorney Erin Oliver.
Authorities arrested Williams on October 29th after they found 32 dead greyhounds in the Ebro Greyhound Park kennel that was assigned to him.
Necropsies found the animals died from starvation and dehydration.
The case has sparked outrage from animal rights groups who are demanding Williams receive the maximum punishment.
Monday morning Williams told Circuit Judge Allen Register he could not afford an attorney.
"Do you have a bank account?"
"No sir," he replied.
"Do you own any stocks, bonds or any type of investment?
"No sir."
But before he was arrested, Williams was making a decent paycheck.
"Prior to being arrested, what was your weekly or bi-weekly income?"
"Um...it depends...somewhere around a thousand, fifteen hundred a week."
Judge Register then appointed a public defender and accepted his 'not guilty' plea.
His next court date will be a pre-trial hearing on February 11th.
The Walton County Sheriff's Office is conducting its own investigation into whether Williams is connected to the death of eight Greyhounds found under the Highway 20 bridge. | Source: wjhg.com - Dec 6, 2010
Update posted on Dec 6, 2010 - 11:01PM |
The greyhound trainer charged with 37 counts of felony animal abuse is less than a week from $170,000 in fines and having his training license permanently revoked.
A motion for the final revocation of Ronnie Williams' license was filed by Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering attorney Joseph Helton on Monday and served Thursday to Williams, who is being held in the Washington County Jail on $74,000 bond. He has one week from that date to respond to the order and if he does not, the division will finalize the actions called for in the order, Alexis Antonacci Lambert, press secretary for the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, wrote in an e-mail.
The motion calls for permanently revoking William's pari-mutuel wagering license, barring him from all Florida pari-mutuel wagering facilities and fining him $170,000, or $5,000 for each of 34 violations.
While following up on a complaint, inspectors with the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Washington County Sheriff's Office discovered 32 dead dogs in Williams' kennel on Oct. 29. An additional five were taken from the kennel alive but extremely underweight and three had duct tape wrapped around their necks, authorities reported. Necropsy exams on the dead dogs revealed they died from starvation and dehydration.
The five dogs taken from the kennel are recovering in the care of Ebro's greyhound adoption center.
Williams waived his right to an administrative proceeding on the charges against him by failing to return an Election of Rights form by the Nov. 23 deadline after receiving an administrative complaint and emergency suspension notice on Nov. 2, according to the motion.
The Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering's charges are civil in nature and separate from the criminal charges against Williams. He will be arraigned on his criminal charges at 8:30 a.m. Monday at the Washington County Courthouse. | Source: chipleypaper.com - Dec 4, 2010
Update posted on Dec 4, 2010 - 10:34PM |
For the first time since we broke to story last Friday night, Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock spoke about the animal cruelty case involving 32-dead greyhounds.
All of the necropsies have now been completed and confirmed dog trainer Ronnie Williams allegedly starved the animals to death. The investigation is only dealing with the animals found at the Ebro Greyhound Park Kennel.
Necropsies performed on the 32-dead greyhounds from Ebro Greyhound Park show they died from starvation and dehydration. A state inspector found the dogs in a kennel and a freezer outside of the kennel, last Friday night.
"This is the worst case of cruelty to animals that I've ever seen. It's just unreal" says Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock.
Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock says this new evidence strengthens their case against 36-year old Ronnie Williams.
Williams was the trainer who was responsible for the animals. Ebro officials say Williams had a contract with them to race dogs at the facility this past season but they insist he was solely responsible for the dogs' health and welfare.
Authorities are also looking into other allegations that Williams has had other issues in the past.
"We're also looking at the background of Williams and we've had other allegations of things happening in his past, going back to 1995. So we're still investigating those things and trying to run those leads down as we speak" Sheriff Haddock says.
Walton County Sheriff's officials are looking at Williams in connection to 8-dead greyhounds that were found under the Highway 20 bridge southwest of Ebro last Sunday night.
One of the dogs had a tattoo in its ear. Authorities are waiting for the National Greyhound Association to identify that dog from the tattoo.
Word about the dead animals has spread all over the country, and people are outraged.
"I believe that's why people rise up when you're dealing with kids or animals that are defenseless; they depend on you or me, or this owner, or this mother and father, or a caregiver to take care of it. And when they fail to do that, people take it to heart" Haddock says.
For now Williams is being held in the Washington County Jail on a $74,000 bond.
Haddock says a number of other greyhounds Williams had at his home and at a kennel in Mobile were found in good condition and have been returned to their owners. | Source: wjhg.com - Nov 5, 2010
Update posted on Nov 5, 2010 - 6:42PM |
Though it's long been suspected and reported, two panhandle doctors of veterinary medicine have confirmed that the 32 greyhounds found dead in an Ebro greyhound track kennel died of either dehydration or starvation or a combination of both. Final results are pending laboratory results, but the news should not be a surprise to anyone who has been following the case.
36-year-old Ronald J. Williams has been charged with 37 counts of felony animal cruelty, in what the Washington County sheriff says is one of the most disturbing cases to cruelty to animals the department has ever investigated. On October 29th, state officials swooped down on Ebro Greyhound Park after an adoption operator at the Ebro dog track reported the smell of decaying animals coming from the neighboring kennels on Friday. After arriving and assessing the status of the animals, the Washington County Sheriff's Office was called in to help investigate.
Washington County Sheriff's Office has spent much of the week performing a concentrated investigation into both the details surrounding the death of 32 greyhounds at the Ebro Greyhound Park Kennel, as well as numerous additional allegations of reported abuse of greyhounds by Williams.
Thursday, November 4th, a necropsy had been completed, confirming suspicions that the dogs had starved to death.
One of the five surviving greyhounds is still being treated at Panhandle
Veterinary Services in Chipley, FL. The remaining four were relocated to local kennels where they are receiving specialized care. All five are expected to make a full recovery.
During the initial investigation, WCSO received information that Williams had additional animals in his care at both a kennel in Mobile, AL and at his home in Walton County. Officers were sent to both locations and found the animals to be in good condition. All animals under the care of Williams have been returned to their owners or relocated to new homes.
Williams is being held in the Washington County Jail held on $74,000 bond.
The investigation into the case continues. | Source: wjhg.com - Nov 5, 2010
Update posted on Nov 5, 2010 - 12:43PM |
There are new developments in a horrifying story that Newschannel 7 brought you exclusively last Friday night.
Walton and Washington county sheriff's officials are now working together the case of a greyhound owner accused of killing at least 32 of his own dogs.
At 11:30 last night Walton County sheriff's officials received a call from animal control regarding the decomposing bodies of eight greyhounds.
The dead animals were located under the highway 20 bridge on the Walton County side of the Choctawhatchee River.
Walton County sheriff's officials believe the discovery is linked to the case involving Ronny Williams, the dog owner who's facing more than 30 counts of felony animal abuse.
Williams was arrested last Friday night after authorities found at least 20 dead dogs in his kennel at Ebro Greyhound Park.
At this point, investigators say they don't know if the dogs discovered today are part of the original group or additional victims.
Ebro Greyhound Park Assistant General Manager Mark Hess says the track did not know about the animal abuse.
"This is the first Ebro has heard about it and we're astounded just shocked that this could happen," said Hess.
Ebro officials say they contracted with Williams to race greyhounds during the season, which ended about a month ago.
Under the agreement Williams and the other owners at the park, were supposed to find adoptive homes for their dogs, or move them to another track that still races.
Hess says that Ronald Williams blamed the smell of the decaying animals on rotting meat in a broken freezer.
Ebro officials became suspicious when seven dogs were returned to them underweight. When the track is not conducting races, Ebro officials do not check on the dogs.
Since this is the first year Ebro has not held racing year round, Hess says there is no off season policy.
"During that time period we didn't have any policy's in place to randomly check the kennels because we weren't racing live and that's something we are going to re-visit and try to redo our policy's and make sure it never happens again," said Hess.
Authorities found five dogs alive in the kennel Williams was using. They've been turned over the Hess' staff at Ebro and are doing much better.
Williams is facing 37 counts of felony animal cruelty.
Washington County Sheriff's officials have yet to comment on today's discovery of the dead dogs by the river. | Source: wjhg.com - Nov 1, 2010
Update posted on Nov 1, 2010 - 6:59PM |
There are new details about the animal cruelty investigation at the Ebro Greyhound Park.
News came Friday that 37 greyhounds were found inside one of the kennels at the park, dozens of them dead.
Sunday, Ebro district general manager Mark Hess says five dogs survived, and not just four like the Washington County Sheriff's Office originally reported. Hess says four of the dogs are being housed at the Ebro adoption facility. The fifth dog is in the custody of a licensed vet.
The sheriff's office has not confirmed that information, but they did say the surviving animals had duct tape around their necks and could barely breathe when they found them.
Officials are blaming 36 year old Ronald Williams. He was arrested Friday night on 37 counts of felony cruelty to animals.
Ebro officials say Williams was licensed to rent a kennel to house his greyhounds at the faculty.
Authorities still don't know what killed the dogs. Williams is in jail and is being held on 54 thousand dollars bond. | Source: panhandleparade.com - 0ct 31, 2010
Update posted on Nov 1, 2010 - 12:57AM |
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