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New Jersey officials catch up with Tanis on 9 Year Old Case
Monmouth County, NJ (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Dec 31, 2003
County: Monmouth
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 1 files available
Defendant/Suspect: John C. Tanis, III
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
An area dog breeder charged with animal cruelty was fined Jan. 12 on similar charges in a nine-year-old case in New Jersey. John C. Tanis III, a dog breeder with a string of charges of animal cruelty and neglect in two states, was given a suspended 60-day prison sentence and ordered to pay $11,080 in accumulated fines.
He appeared in a hearing before Monmouth County Judge Joel Kreisman on Jan., 2003 New Jersey officials had been looking for Tanis since 1996, after he was found guilty of multiple charges of animal abuse and failure to provide proper shelter in Ocean Township.
Officials said he was running "a backyard breeding operation" there.
He was also convicted on Feb. 1, 1996, of possession of assault weapons in Hunterdon County, N.J. Due to his conviction, he was not allowed to possess any weapons. He subsequently fled the state, moving back to Pennsylvania.
New Jersey police finally caught up with Tanis on Dec. 24, 2003, during a traffic stop in Old Bridge Township, Middlesex County. He was allegedly delivering several puppies to buyers for Christmas gifts. Tanis posted $8,500 bail and was released.
He was scheduled to appear in Wyoming County Court on Wednesday, January 2003 in connection with more animal cruelty charges, but the hearing was postponed. No new date has been set.
The charges in New Jersey won't affect the outcome of his latest case here, said Wyoming County District Attorney George Skumanick. In March 2002, Tanis moved his kennel from a Lackawanna County location to Mehoopany, then later to Eaton Township.
On May 21, 2003, 46 dogs and two cats were rescued from an unlicensed kennel that he operated. The dogs suffered from anemia, malnutrition, internal and external parasites and two types of mange.
Tanis attempted to leave with puppies before hopping a plane to Russia, but wasn't allowed to take the pups with him because they were considered evidence in the case.
Tanis is no stranger to the Pennsylvania legal system. In August 2003, he was found guilty after a hearing in Wyoming County on 29 counts filed by dog law officers of failing to have a dog three months of age or older vaccinated against rabies; seven counts of failing to license a dog over three months of age, and one count of not having a kennel license.
In September 2003, after being found guilty of an additional 21 civil counts of cruelty to animals in Wyoming County, Tanis faced fines of more than $15,000 and possible prison time. Five puppies died while in custody and at least three more dogs would later have to be put down due to their condition. He was fined the maximum of $750 per count and 90 days in jail for each and forfeiture of the dogs.
He had previously been arrested in Lackawanna County in March 1996 after investigators found 46 dogs and two cats living in filthy conditions, 209 weapons - including a fully automatic submachine gun - and 94 lbs. of gunpowder. He faced 209 charges related to the animals.
In November 1996, he was arrested in another dog case in Scranton. He was charged with theft by deception and charged with 13 misdemeanor and seven summary counts relatedto the condition in which he kept his dogs.
Tanis spent almost a year in jail in 1996 and 1997 while waiting for the charges in both cases to move through the courts. He pleaded guilty to the dog law violations. The weapons charges ultimately were dismissed after the guns were found to belong to his mother, Eleanor.
In July 2000, he was found guilty after failing to appear for a hearing in Lackawanna County on 13 dog law citations in September 1999 and March 2000. He was fined a maximum of $300 plus costs.
Case UpdatesFugitive dog breeder nabbed at New York airport
A Wyoming County dog breeder accused of operating illegal puppy mills has been caught.
According to Wyoming County District Attorney George Skumanick Jr., John C. Tanis III was nabbed at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, on Sunday and is in custody in New York.
An extradition hearing has been scheduled and Skumanick said he expects Tanis to be returned to Wyoming County sometime this week.
Tanis has run up a lengthy list of convictions for animal cruelty and other offenses in Pennsylvania and New Jersey since 1996.
On Jan. 12, he was fined $11,080 and given a suspended 60-day prison sentence on animal cruelty and abuse charges in a 9-year-old case in New Jersey after police caught up with him during a Dec. 24 traffic stop.
Tanis was allegedly delivering puppies to customers.
Tanis failed to appear in Wyoming County Court on Jan. 14 for further court action on animal neglect charges and was declared a fugitive. He allegedly called the Wyoming County sheriff about two weeks ago and said he's out of the state and not coming back, said Skumanick.
In late January humane officers seized 31 dogs from an unlicensed kennel owned by Tanis in Eaton Township. The dogs were outside without any shelter, and some didn't have any food or water. The dogs have since been adopted out.
A condition of Tanis' bail from previous cases is that he isn't allowed to have more than two dogs, humane officials said.
Tanis has been charged 279 times in Pennsylvania with animal neglect and abuse, and numerous times in New Jersey. | | Update posted on Feb 10, 2004 - 9:48AM |
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