Failure to Provide Vet Care
Jonesboro, GA (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Jun 30, 2002
County: Clayton
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Cynthia Byrd
A pit bull at the center of an animal cruelty case has been kept at the pound since July 2002, and he may not be released until his previous owner's probation is up in 2005. The owner, Cynthia Byrd, a former Fulton County jail guard, was charged with failure to seek veterinary care for the dog, named Little Man, and another dog, Big Man, after the 2 apparently got into a fight while penned together in her backyard. Big Man was found on the side of the road and was so injured that he had to be euthanized. Byrd and her ex-husband Anthony Hightower were originally charged with with dogfighting, which is a felony in Georgia, after neighbors had complained of hearing painful-sounding yelps and seeing dozens of dogs on the property. Byrd made a plea agreement on the lesser charge of failure to seek veterinary care and was sentenced to 500 hours of community service at the Ark Rehabilitation Center and 2 years' probation, during which she is not permitted to own animals. Because she is not allowed to own animals by law, there is a dispute over whether or not Little Man can be considered abandoned, and therefore be put up for adoption. Attorneys involved with the case said Little Man will have to remain in custody until Hightower's case is tried. Meanwhile, Byrd plans to ask for her prison guard job back, so she can support her 6 children. References« GA State Animal Cruelty Map
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