Hoarding - 60 animals seized - Suffolk, VA

Monday, Nov 23, 2009

County: Suffolk City

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: Jennifer Eileen Harrell

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Jennifer Harrell can't seem to get enough of animals. The Suffolk woman has 60 of them now. Chickens, goats, horses and rabbits all wandering inside a wire pen on her property. She also can't seem to avoid repeat visits and criminal charges from Animal Control. The latest came when concerns over the conditions of the horses brought officers to the home.

"The rabbits not having adequate water. The dogs being kept in a playpen with a tarp on them. Not having adequate water, not having adequate shelter, not having rabies vaccinations," says Suffolk City spokesperson Debbie George.

Harrell is facing 13 charges stemming from Monday's visit. Including four counts of animal cruelty for the rabbits.

Off her property and thriving the horses found tied to trees in September off Wilroy Road. WAVY.com was the only camera there as rescuers removed the animals. What a difference time makes.

"They're looking so good. Two of them look like they've never been skinny," says Kirsty Reyes. She's caring for the horses.

When they came to her farm, their bones were visible and they could barely move. WIthin days, a vet had to euthanize the young filly. Harrell is charged with five counts of animal cruelty in this case.

Healthy enough now two horses are ready to be adopted. Reyes plans to keep the painted mare and the new addition coming to the farm.

"We had an inkling the vet said he thought she might be pregnant and it turns out she is pregnant," says Reyes. The baby already has a name, Phoenix.

If you're interested in adopting the remaining horses, contact Suffolk Animal Control at (757) 514-7855.

Harrell will be in court December 7th for the horse case and the 17th to face charges in the latest incident.

Case Updates

A Suffolk woman whose five horses were found starving and in otherwise poor condition in a wooded area along Wilroy Road in October pleaded guilty on Thursday to 10 cruelty-related misdemeanor charges. Jennifer Eileen Harrell, 33, of Deer Path Road, was convicted on five charges of animal cruelty for treatment of the horses. She also pleaded guilty to four counts of animal cruelty for treatment of dogs that were found in poor conditions at her home in November and to one count of failing to provide a dog with adequate shelter. As a part of the plea agreement, the commonwealth agreed not to prosecute nine other charges related to allegedly inadequate care of rabbits and other animals. Harrell was sentenced to six months in jail for each of the five original charges, with all of that time suspended, and she will be required to pay $2,500 in restitution to the city of Suffolk for the horses' care, as well as $850 to a boarder who kept the animals while awaiting a judge's order for them to be forfeited. Furthermore, prosecutor Susan Walton said Thursday evening, Harrell will be allowed to keep only one domesticated animal and one livestock animal, and she cannot breed any animals. She also must submit to unannounced inspections of her home by animal control officers and remain on good behavior for a period of five years. "We're minimizing the possibility that this can happen to any future animals," Walton said. "These horses were in horrible shape." When someone complained about the number of horses Harrell had on her property, city officials responded by telling her she had to move some of them, defense attorney Justin Bush said following Thursday's trial. Harrell found a property to lease along Wilroy Road, moved five of her horses there and had them tied up in the woods while a fence was built, he said. Neighbors of that property noticed the horses on Sept. 26 and called for animal control to come out and help. Two of the horses and a pony were tied to trees with dog leashes, and the other horses were roaming free on the property when animal control officers arrived. All were severely undernourished, and all suffered from skin infections. All five horses were taken from the property, but one was euthanized the following day. A judge later ordered the other four horses to be forfeited. Walton said the four surviving horses responded well and quickly to proper care and feeding, gaining as much as 186 pounds since being rescued. Three of the four have been adopted. Animal control officers continue to look for a home for a stallion pony rescued from the scene. "It would have been better if she'd just let [the horses] out into a field or pasture to fend for themselves," Walton said. "If people get in over their heads, they need to find someone out there who can help them. You can't just allow these animals to starve to death." Bush described Harrell as an animal-lover who "rescued" troubled animals and eventually found herself overwhelmed by her situation. "She didn't intentionally do this stuff to the animals," Bush said. "She just doesn't necessarily have the skills or the finances to take care of them properly." Officers were called to Harrell's Deer Path Road home on Nov. 23, where they discovered two horses standing in the mud with questionable shelter. While on the property, they discovered problems with the care of domesticated animals and lodged a new set of charges against Harrell. Those charges were all settled as part of Thursday's agreement.

Source: suffolknewsherald.com - Dec 17, 2009 Update posted on Jan 13, 2011 - 4:37PM

References

• wavy.com - Nov 24, 2009 fox43tv.com - Nov 24, 2009 wvec.com - Nov 24, 2009

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