A man was charged Thursday with animal cruelty following an investigation into the deaths of the puppies and neglect of three others. Authorites delivered Class A misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty to Sydney B. Warden, who gave a Tennessee Ridge address.
Warden is charged with having the dead puppies -- along with the three others -- in a dog pen. It is said the puppies will remain with the owner a until the case is resolved through the District Attorney's Office.
"(Three) pups were alive, and it had been reported that Sydney B. Warden had not properly cared for said dogs," A Deputy wrote in an arrest warrant.
A Clinic veterinarian who examined one of the puppies, said that it was underweight, anemic and had rickets, worms and an ear infection. He also stated the puppy's front feet bones were curved from the rickets, a disease resulting from improper nutrition.
"They've definitely got some neglect going on," Beuerlein said.
When the deputies arrived at the neighbors home Nov. 1, 2003, she showed them a small container serving as a shelter for the three living puppies and two that were dead.
It was advised by the District Attorney's Office the puppies are to remain at their current location until the charges are resolved.
To write to the prosecutor in this case, asking for vigorous prosecution and jail time, mandatory counseling and a lifetime ban on owning animals if he is convicted:
Carey Thompson, Assistant District Attorney
Office of the 23rd District Attorney General
Humphreys County Courthouse, Rm. 206
Waverly, TN 35185 Case Updates| Posted on Dec 27, 2005 - 6:37PM | | A Tennessee man who was accused of starving two dogs to death and nearly killing three puppies has been found not guilty. Sydney B. Warden was indicted by a Houston County grand jury and was tried on three counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. | | Source: ALDF - August 23, 2004 |
| Posted on Nov 14, 2004 - 7:36AM | Warden will be in court March 11 after his court date was reset Friday. He was charged Nov. 6, 2003, with having two dead dogs and three puppies in a dog pen, according to court documents. The puppies were alive, but a neighbor had reported that Warden had not properly cared for the dogs.
Those charges were dropped when a previous grand jury on March 1 returned a no true bill, meaning the case would not move forward to a trial. The case was presented to the grand jury July 6.
Shortly after the Nov. 6, 2003, charges were levied, St. Francis Animal Rescue director Annamaria McCoy drew the attention of pet activists from around the country when she used the Internet to distribute graphic pictures she had taken on Nov. 1 of the puppies. | | Source: Leaf-Chronicle - Nov 14, 2004 |
| Posted on Aug 24, 2004 - 5:48PM | A Houston County grand jury has indicted Tennessee Ridge resident Sydney B. Warden, 47, on three counts of animal cruelty.
Thirteen jurors decided Warden will stand trial for charges that he unlawfully and knowingly tortured or maimed three puppies, according to court documents.
Warden's appearance day on the Class B misdemeanor charges is set for Sept. 13, and his trial date is set for Nov. 12 at the Houston County Courthouse, with Judge Robert E. Burch presiding.
Warden was charged Nov. 6, 2003, with having two dead dogs and three puppies in a dog pen, according to court documents. The puppies were alive, but a neighbor had reported that Warden had not properly cared for the dogs.
Those charges were dropped when a previous grand jury on March 1 returned a no true bill, meaning the case would not move forward to a trial. The case was presented to the grand jury July 6.
Shortly after the Nov. 6, 2003, charges were levied, St. Francis Animal Rescue director Annamaria McCoy drew the attention of pet activists from around the country when she used the Internet to distribute graphic pictures she had taken on Nov. 1 of the puppies. | | Source: The Leaf Chronicle |
| Posted on Mar 8, 2004 - 4:52AM | This case has been dismissed against a Houston County man charged in November 2003 with animal cruelty.
Charges against Sydney B. Warden, who gave a Tennessee Ridge address, were returned from a grand jury as a no true bill, meaning the case will not move forward to a trial. No decision has been made on whether the case will be presented to the grand jury at a later date, said Carey Thompson, assistant district attorney for the 23rd Judicial District.
Warden was charged Nov. 6 2003 with having two dead dogs and three puppies in a dog pen, according to court documents. The puppies were alive, but a neighbor had reported that Warden had not properly cared for the dogs.
The puppies are in the care of St. Francis Animal Rescue in Erin, and director Annamaria McCoy said Friday they would remain there. It is not known if the puppies could eventually be returned to Warden. It's a civil matter unless there's another criminal charge brought.
Shortly after the charges were levied, McCoy drew the attention of pet activists from around the country by using the Internet to distribute graphic pictures of the puppies she had taken on Nov. 1, 2003.
Humane Society of Clarksville-Montgomery County president Carmen Hunter, who has seen the photos of the puppies, said she is disappointed the case was not set for trial.
"A person would have to be blind not to see this was wrong," Hunter said. "If these rural communities are able to continue (to reject cases), it'll never change."
McCoy said she hopes the case against Warden will be pursued further. She had previously announced she would close her animal rescue but instead only discontinued her work as animal control for Houston County.
"I'm a firm believer that the law was made to serve and protect the people who abide by it, and their loved ones, even if they are ... animals," she said.
It was stated that only a few animal cruelty cases have presented to a grand jury in the 23rd Judicial District over the years, but, in other cases, the charges were pursued. |
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