Malnourished animals seized
Jacksonville, TX (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Jun 2, 2011
County: Cherokee
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 1 files available
Alleged: William Earl Franklin
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
The Cherokee County Sheriff's Department and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of East Texas seized animals from a property on CR 3304 in Jacksonville on Thursday and Friday because the animals were "cruelly confined, severely neglected and improperly fed," according to a warrant application.
One horse was seized Thursday and seven horses, one bull, two cows, and one donkey were seized Friday and taken to a veterinarian in Tyler, said Cherokee County Deputy Joe Self.
"(The horse we picked up Thursday) was in the worst shape, just super skinny, not being fed and taken care of, probably not wormed," Self told the Daily Progress Friday. "These animals have gone to Smith County and our veterinarian is going to inspect these animals."
Deborah Dobbs, SPCA of East Texas president, said a tip on the organization's hotline spurred the investigation.
"This is one of the worst we've seen in awhile so we connected the Cherokee County authorities," Dobbs said.
After seizing one horse Thursday, authorities saw several other animals in need of attention, she said.
"The conditions out there are horrible," Dobbs said. "It's more about the cruel confinement of these animals. Some of them are grossly underweight and need to be fed, but the conditions are very dangerous for any animal. There's a lot of glass, wire and metal, and trash."
The animals had no natural source of food, she said.
"They're in a dirt pen with no grass," Dobbs said. "There's a tiny bit of hay that had been thrown out but these animals are so thin. It takes months for a horse to get like this. This didn't happen overnight."
The owner of the animals, alleged to be William Earl Franklin according to the warrant application, will appear at a civil hearing before Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Phillip Grimes on June 13 at 10 a.m.
"At that point we will present evidence to the court and decide if the animals have been cruelty confined," Dobbs said. "If he makes a finding there's been animal cruelty, he must remove them from the owner."
The animals could be awarded to the SPCA of East Texas to place them with a new owner, she said.
At the civil hearing, the owner may also be ordered to pay restitution to the SPCA of East Texas.
Criminal charges had not been filed as of Friday.
"Criminal charges typically wait until there's a veterinary examination," Dobbs said.
Because the case is still under investigation, Self said he could not disclose whether the sheriff's department is seeking to file criminal charges.
Case UpdatesAt a civil hearing Monday, 12 animals seized from a Jacksonville property earlier this month were awarded to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of East Texas.
"This is the first time the SPCA of East Texas has gone into Cherokee County on seizure," said Deborah Dobbs, SPCA of East Texas president.
Dobbs said she was very pleased with Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Phillip Grimes' decision.
Eight horses, one bull, two cows, and one donkey were seized from a property on County Road 3304 by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Department and the SPCA of East Texas for being "cruelly confined, severely neglected and improperly fed," according to a warrant application.
Tyler Veterinarian Michael Williams examined the animals and found them to be malnourished, Dobbs said.
His findings were presented in court.
"The environment these animals were being kept in was extremely dangerous, so they were at risk and they had injuries and they were living in squalor," Dobbs said. "It was pretty horrific."
The animal owner, alleged to be William Earl Franklin according to a warrant application, was ordered to pay all costs the SPCA of East Texas incurred in seizing the animals within the next 30 days.
The defendant may file an appeal within 10 days.
If an appeal is not filed, the SPCA of East Texas assumes full ownership of the animals and begins the process of finding them new homes, Dobbs said.
Criminal charges may also be filed against the defendant.
"Deputy (Joe) Self will have to make that decision of whether to proceed with criminal charges," Dobbs said.
Self was not available for comment Monday. | Source: jacksonvilleprogress.com - Jun 13, 2011
Update posted on Jun 13, 2011 - 8:59PM |
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