Hoarding - 100 cats and dogs seized - Thaxton, VA

Monday, Sep 27, 2010

County: Bedford

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Dismissed (Conditional)

Person of Interest: Ronald Lee Snellings, Sr.

Case Updates: 3 update(s) available

The man accused of hoarding more than 100 animals in his Bedford County home now faces charges.

Ronald Lee Snellings, Sr. faces ten misdemeanor charges of animal neglect.

This comes after the Bedford County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant at his home in Thaxton in September. In all, 102 animals were taken.

A judge ordered he get three of those dogs back, pending the resolution of these charges.

Snellings has been released on bond.

Case Updates

He made headlines last year when more than 100 animals were taken from his Bedford County home. Monday, Ronald Snellings was back in court to face criminal charges related to the seized animals. Snellings is charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty, but his case is being put on hold. A judge has agreed to put Snelling's charges under advisement for two years. During that time, Snellings will be required to undergo a mental evaluation and won't be allowed to own any animals. Bedford County Animal Control took 102 cats and dogs out of Snelling's home in Shady Grove last September. Prosecutors say Snellings meets the profile of an "animal hoarder," but his attorney disagrees. He says Snellings was simply trying to help the animals that were in his home. Monday's action allows Snellings to avoid being prosecuted and possibly be allowed to own animals in the future. Both sides say they simply want to get Snellings the help he needs. By preventing him from owning animals for two years, attorneys believe they can help Snellings become a responsible pet owner. One way attorneys are trying do that is by showing Snellings that animal shelters are better equipped to care for a large number of animals then he is. The 102 animals taken from Snelling's home last year were taken to Angels of Assisi, a "no kill" shelter in Roanoke. 82 of the original 102 animals have since been adopted out to new owners. As part of Monday's court order, Snellings will be provided with a "profile" of the people who adopted the animals that were once in his care. Snellings will only be given basic information about the new owners; no names or addresses will be given out. By doing this, attorneys hope Snellings will come to understand that shelters like Angels of Assisi can accomplish the goals he originally had for his animals. If Snellings fails to do any of the things required of him by the court Monday, he could be sent to jail. If he complies, his charges could eventually be dropped.

Source: wdbj7.com - Jun 6, 2011 Update posted on Jun 6, 2011 - 5:26PM

He made headlines last year when more than 100 animals were taken from his Bedford County home. Monday, Ronald Snellings was back in court to face criminal charges related to the seized animals. Snellings is charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty, but his case is being put on hold. A judge has agreed to put Snelling's charges under advisement for two years. During that time, Snellings will be required to undergo a mental evaluation and won't be allowed to own any animals.

Update posted on Jun 6, 2011 - 5:22PM

The Bedford man charged with animal cruelty for having more than 100 animals in his house has been ordered to undergo a mental evaluation. Back in September, Bedford Animal Control seized 74 cats and 28 dogs from the home of Ronald Snellings. His attorneys are now asking the court to determine whether Snellings was legally competent when those animals were taken. A doctor will evaluate Snellings and report back to Bedford court April 4th. Snellings is facing misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty for what investigators call a case of "animal hoarding." Should his case go to trial, Snellings' attorneys are planning to call veterinarians to the stand who can verify the Bedford man was taking care of his many animals. Prosecutors say they too have veterinary witnesses that can testify against Snellings. Bedford General District Court Judge Harold Black has recused himself from Snellings' case, citing a conflict of interest. In court Monday, Black told attorneys that his own veterinarian is among the witnesses scheduled to testify for the prosecution. Snellings could avoid a conviction if doctors discover he was incompetent at the time of his offense, but prosecutors say that judgment could also prevent Snellings from legally possessing animals in the future.

Source: wdbj7.com - Jan 3, 2010 Update posted on Jan 3, 2011 - 6:05PM

References

• wset.com - Nov 16, 2010 wdbj7.com - Nov 16, 2010

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