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Attorneys/Judges
Judge(s):
Roger Edmonds
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CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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A Belvedere woman whose dogs mauled an Augusta toddler Friday must give up all the dogs she owns in South Carolina - all 24 of them.
Shirley A. Barnes, 60, of Audubon Circle, was found guilty Tuesday on nine ordinance violations related to the two dozen canines she kept in her Belvedere home.
Dogs at her residence in Augusta attacked the child last week. Jessica Lynn Chavous, the mother of attacked toddler, was arrested Tuesday on charges of cruelty to children in the second degree.
In Barnes' case, Magistrate Judge Rodger E. Edmonds accepted an agreement reached between the defendant and the Aiken County Solicitor's Office in regard to punishment.
Barnes was found guilty by Edmonds on eight counts of failure to vaccinate dogs and one of nuisance animals. Of the 24 dogs, Barnes can pick out 10 animals to go to a small shelter run by a friend, Sharon Cheeks. The other 14 will become the property of the county.
Backed up by the threat of being held in contempt of court, Barnes can no longer own dogs at her current address.
She was also held liable for the cost of boarding the dogs from July 9-14 at $1,855. Barnes does not work and could not pay the cost, so the judgment was converted to 270 hours of community service. She will, however, have to pay a $495 court assessed conviction fee.
Barnes never admitted that her pack was a nuisance and insisted after the hearing that her home was a shelter for animals. She believes she is being persecuted by her neighbors; however, both she and her own witness testified that her dogs frequently got out of her yard and that they barked regularly.
"Those people have been tormenting the life out of me for the past year and a half," she said.
Edmonds said the dogs had to leave Audubon Circle and praised the neighbors for putting up with the noise and smell for so long.
"It would have driven me insane," Edmonds said.
At the trial, neighbors testified that they could not be outside or have guests at their homes due to the noise and smell from Barnes' home.
They also testified about five separate occasions where fugitive dogs intimidated residents and, in one case, almost caused a young boy injury as he ran into the road away from a group of dogs and was almost struck by a car.
Those dogs not selected by Barnes to go to her friend's animal shelter will be available for adoption soon.
Timeline
June 16 - Audubon Circle neighbors complain about Shirley A. Barnes' dogs being loose and incessant barking.
June 22 - Aiken County Animal Control responds to Barnes' home. They see dogs loose without rabies tags and cite Barnes nine times and her son once.
July 9 - Aiken County Animal Control returns after more complaints and removes 24 dogs from Barnes' home.
July 10 - Jessica Lynn Chavous' son gets into the backyard of Barnes' Augusta home and is mauled.
July 14 - Jessica Lynn Chavous, 24, is arrested and charged with cruelty to children.
July 14 - Barnes is found guilty by a magistrate on nine ordinance violations. She is sentenced to community service, a fine and must give up her dogs.
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