A 37-year-old Manassas woman with a history of improperly caring for her dogs has been arrested after police found two malnourished pit bulls in her filthy back yard, one of them so famished that it was eating the dead body of a third pit bull.
Karen Morris, of the 9200 block of Taney Road, was arrested at her home Saturday (Dec 18) and charged with several offenses, including three counts of animal cruelty, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of a $2,500 fine and 12 months in jail, said Sgt. Tim Neumann, a Manassas City police spokesman.
A relative of Morris's, Ira Anderson, who also lives at the Taney Road address, was charged with several offenses, including one count of animal cruelty and one count of animals causing unsanitary conditions, Neumann said.
Morris posted a $2,000 bond when she was arrested Saturday night. A criminal hearing in Prince William County General District Court has been set for Jan. 6, at 10:30 a.m. in General District Courtroom 5J.
Anderson, 19, remains at large.
The investigation at the Taney Road townhouse began Dec. 9 when police received a call from a neighbor with a view of Morris's back yard from an upstairs window. The neighbor reported that the dogs were thin and living in "deplorable conditions," according to court documents.
Joan G. Strawderman, chief animal control officer for Manassas, said she met the neighbor at his home, looked out the window and saw a black and white female pit bull standing over a dead tan male pit bull.
"We removed the screen from the window and I stuck my head out and you could hear her chewing," said Strawderman, who said she felt disgusted and angry at the sight. "It's always a shock to run across a case like this even when you've been around for a long time."
Strawderman then went next door and found Morris's father, Robert Morris, who said that his daughter was in North Carolina and that he had not been caring for the dogs because he was afraid of them, according to court records.
As Strawderman was seizing the dogs, the father called his daughter, who spoke with Strawderman and told her that Anderson was taking care of the dogs in her absence, according to court documents. Morris told the officer that she owned Big Daddy, the surviving tan pit bull, and that her youngest son, a juvenile, owned Bean, the dog that had died. Morris said Anderson owned the female, Meeha.
Morris and Anderson could not be reached to comment.
Strawderman said agricultural lime had been applied at the yard's edges to mask the odor of feces.
The dogs were taken to a Woodbridge animal hospital, where they were found to be underweight by several pounds, she said.
According to court records, Morris has been charged several times in the past 10 years with animal-related crimes, including repeated instances of allowing her dogs to run at large, of which she was found guilty. She was also charged with failing to vaccinate them against rabies and failing to provide them with adequate care, both of which she was cleared of.
A civil hearing is scheduled for Dec 21 to determine whether Morris and Anderson may keep the dogs. Even if a judge rules in their favor, the dogs will remain at an animal shelter until the criminal cases are over, said Martin R. Crim, deputy city attorney for Manassas.
Prosecutor's contact information:
The Honorable Robert W. Bendall
Attorney, City of Manassas
9253 Lee Ave.
Manassas, VA 20110 Case UpdatesMorris was sentenced Monday to two days in jail and was barred from ever possessing another companion animal in Virginia as part of a related civil case. Under Virginia law, Morris would never be allowed to own or possess any animal other than a fish, said Manassas City Attorney Robert Bendall, who prosecuted the case.
"I would suggest that's all she's capable of handling is a fish," Bendall said. The prosecutor had asked General District Judge Craig Johnston to impose a 10-day jail sentence, which is unusual for misdemeanor cases.
He said he felt compelled to seek a tough sentence because, "I feel there's a direct correlation between the way that humans treat animals and what they do in the rest of their life."
In December, animal control officers found three pit bulls in deplorable conditions in a tiny backyard to Morris' townhouse. Officers observed Meeha, an extremely thin pit bull, cannibalizing the carcass of another pit bull, Bean.
Although the two dogs were not owned by Morris but by various family members, she was convicted of animal cruelty against Meeha. The judge acquitted her of animal cruelty against Bean, saying there was reasonable doubt that Morris knew Bean was on the property. Morris was away in Florida on a family trip when officers discovered the animals.
Morris also was convicted of cruelty toward another dog, Big Daddy, for which she acknowledged ownership.
Morris' attorney, Robert King, had argued against any jail time, saying that his client was simply overwhelmed with the burden of caring for six children as well as the dogs.
He also said that the animal-cruelty laws envision worse crimes than those committed by Morris.
"It's the difference of cruelty versus neglect," he said. "Active cruelty, like beating a dog or having them engage in fights, is worse than neglect, not that neglect is OK," King said.
Johnston said he imposed the jail time and the ban on animal possession because it was "the only way I can ensure that this doesn't happen again."
Big Daddy is currently in the custody of animal control, which has determined that the dog is aggressive and must be put down, Bendall said. Johnston barred the city from euthanizing Big Daddy for another 10 days, so that Morris has the option to appeal the case and seek to regain ownership.
Morris said after the hearing that she does not plan to appeal but is hopeful that a relative will be able to adopt Big Daddy, though that would be unlikely unless Morris successfully appeals the civil ruling. She said she was angry that the city took Big Daddy from her and now wants to euthanize him.
"I love my dogs to death," she said after the hearing. "I take care of my dogs." | Source: WVEC - Feb 14, 2005
Update posted on Feb 14, 2005 - 5:21PM |
Morris' lawyer argued she didn't own one of the dogs and thought her son removed another. A judge Thursday convicted her of two animal cruelty charges, leaving her property in unsanitary conditions and failing to license or vaccinate two of the dogs.
She'd been previously convicted for allowing her dogs to run free. | Source: ABC 7 News - Feb 4, 2005
Update posted on Feb 6, 2005 - 2:43AM |
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