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Case #4867 Rating: 3.0 out of 5
Hoarding - 30 dogs seized, puppy found dead
Russellville, AR (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Jun 21, 2005
County: Pope
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects:
» Roger Lewis Ward
» Kelly Kendrick
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
Pope County authorities have cited a couple for animal cruelty after sheriff's deputies located 30 dogs and a dead puppy at the couple's residence that had reportedly been without food or water for three days.
Sheriff Jay Winters confirmed Roger Lewis Ward and his girlfriend, Kelly Kendrick, have been cited with animal cruelty, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in county jail. They are to appear July 5 in District Judge Don Bourne's court.
Jack Thorp, a deputy prosecutor for the 5th Judicial District, said the animal cruelty charges would be pursued against Ward and Kendrick.
Pope County Sheriff Sgt. Chad Maness, responding June 21 to a call from a neighbor about the alleged cruelty at the Ward and Kendrick residence at 105 Virden Circle near London, located approximately 20 dogs running free in the back yard and 10 more dogs attached to chains, all without access to food or water. Maness also located the dead puppy in the yard with the other dogs.
Ward returned to the residence as sheriff's deputies were attempting to relocate the dogs and confirmed he had been out of town "for a few days," according to Maness' report. Ward contended he had "left the dogs some food and water," Maness said, although the supplies had apparently run out while he was gone.
Along with the 30 dogs in the yard, Maness said there were also two more adult dogs in a dog pen and two adult dogs inside the residence. Ward told officers he "did not intend on having so many dogs; that they just got out of hand," according to the report.
Winters said it was apparent the animals were not being treated properly.
"This is a case of animal cruelty mixed in with pure negligence," Winters said.
Sheriff's officials took possession of several of the dogs with the assistance of animal control officers from Atkins and London. The dogs are presently being housed at those two cities.
Winters said housing the animals will be a strain on his department and the two cities. He said anyone in the community who is willing to provide homes for the any of the dogs, at least on a temporary basis, can contact officials where the dogs are presently being housed, and such assistance would benefit the county.
Case UpdatesAbout nine months ago, some disturbing reports were made from the London area regarding the mistreatment of nearly 30 dogs.
But when the couple responsible for leaving the dogs without food or water for three days were found guilty of animal cruelty and reprimanded by a Russellville District Judge in August, local residents and neighbors of the couple could rest easy. But not for long.
Since Roger Lewis Ward's day in court where his dogs were ordered taken away, he has accumulated more, according to his neighbors, leaving other residents of Virden Circle frustrated and looking for answers. In addition to contacting the Humane Society, the Health Department, and the Environmental Protection Agency, neighbors have also contacted Pope County Judge Jim Ed Gibson and Sheriff Jay Winters about their concerns.
"I don't blame them for being upset," Gibson said recently of the residents at Virden Circle. "They've called me because they are concerned about their safety and the safety of the dogs. They have told me they are not able to walk because they are afraid the chains may break when dogs are lunging. ... "They also have trouble at night because if something goes by the house, there's a tremendous amount of barking." Gibson said all of the calls he has received have been passed to Winters, who said he and his deputies have returned to Ward's home twice since his court sentencing at neighbors' requests. But each time he has visited the residence, he said, the dogs had ample food, water and shelter. "We have not seen anything that would constitute another animal cruelty charge," Winters said. "Both times we have been to the residence, the dogs have been able to get into their shelter, they have had food and water, and we didn't see a problem with the dogs being vicious. ... "And as long as they are being fed and sheltered, we can't restrict anything."
Winters said other than the fact District Judge Don Bourne did not place any restrictions on Ward pertaining to the number of dogs he was allowed to gain in the future, no regulations exist within county laws pertaining to the number of animals a person is allowed to keep. "(Pope) County has never addressed limits on animals," Winters said explaining the only ordinance in effect in the county deals with animals that are loose and vicious. "Most counties just don't have the same guidelines on animals as cities do, where there are restrictions on things like that."
But answers from law enforcement are not satisfying Virden Circle residents.
Neighbors' comments
"Something needs to be done," Cecil Keith, Virden Circle resident, said and explained circumstances at the residence are not always as the sheriff explained. "It's absolutely horrendous out there sometimes. ... They don't always have food and water, and their chains get so tangled up they can't even get in their houses. "Every stray dog that wanders up is tied up with a belt or chain or piece of rope or whatever they can find," he continued. "Where ever they can drive a stake and put a dog, they do it."
Vicki Toth, one of the neighbors who notified law enforcement when the dogs were left for days with no food or water, agreed saying, "This has been an ongoing problem." "It's not a pretty site," she added. "If you could see what we see every day with your own eyes, you would know what we're going through. It's not a nice thing to deal with day-in and day-out." Toth said although she only knew of one resident about three years ago who had been bitten by one of the dogs, she still feels the need to be extremely cautious. She explained she has not let her children play outside unsupervised for years, and knows of neighbors who will not walk their dogs near Ward's residence. "Our main concern is they just had 30 dogs taken away in June, and now it's back up to nearly 20 -- that includes dogs and puppies," Toth said. "And it hasn't even been a year."
In response to some of the various accusations Ward was made aware of by The Courier this week, he said he was in the process of giving away a litter of puppies, he had recently purchased new longer chains for the outside dogs, and he had also constructed a chain-link fence for the backyard. After counting the exact number of dogs he owns in his head, Ward said he had a total of 13 dogs and puppies. However, neighbors suspected there were more. In reference to accusations of some of the dogs being vicious, Ward said only one of his dogs would bite, noting "the others are as playful as can be." "I know I've got a few dogs," Ward said. "And dogs are going to bark, and dogs are going to get tangled up. ... But I know when I'm there, I untangle them, and I feed and water them before I go to work." Ward had no comment when asked why he wanted to keep so many dogs tied up on his property.
Judge Bourne, in addition to taking away ownership of most of the dogs, assessed both Ward and Kelly Kendrick a $330 fine, restitution costs totaling $1,500 to Pope County for services of the London and Atkins animal shelters, supervised probation and 30 hours of community service.
The London and Atkins animal shelters took possession of the dogs after charges were filed against the couple. The Pope County Quorum Court appropriated funds in July to assist in housing the dogs, and the restitution paid would reimburse the county for the expenses. Court records show payments have been made to date. According to a police report at the time charges were filed, Ward told officers he "did not intend on having so many dogs; that they just got out of hand." | Source: Courner News - March 2006
Update posted on May 6, 2006 - 4:54AM |
A Pope County couple accused of animal cruelty was ordered Tuesday in District Court to forfeit more than 20 of their dogs to animal shelters in Atkins and London.
Roger Lewis Ward and Kelly Kendrick were tried after pleading innocent in July to charges filed against them. In June, sheriff's deputies located nearly 30 dogs and a dead puppy at the couple's residence that had reportedly been without food or water for three days.
District Judge Don Bourne, in addition to taking away ownership of most of the dogs, assessed both Ward and Kendrick a $330 fine, restitution costs totaling $1,500 to Pope County for services of the London and Atkins animal shelters, supervised probation and 30 hours of community service.
The London and Atkins animal shelters took possession of the dogs after charges were filed against the couple. The Pope County Quorum Court recently appropriated funds to assist in housing the dogs. The restitution paid will reimburse the county for the expenses.
Bourne, at Ward's request, allowed Ward to keep two of the dogs, but the fate of the remaining dogs is in the hands of the animal shelters. Sheriff Jay Winters asked Wednesday anyone interested in adopting the animals contact the London or Atkins animal shelters.
"These are good animals," Winters said. "They're healthy, and they would make good pets. There's plenty of them.
"Everybody knows what happens to animals if don't get picked up within a certain amount of time," he continued. "So anybody who is interested, please give these animals a good home."
He said a few people have already asked about adopting the animals, but nothing could be done with them until the Aug 25 trial. All of the dogs housed at the shelter now, however, are available for adoption. | Source: Courtier News - Aug 25, 2005
Update posted on Aug 26, 2005 - 4:23PM |
The couple is scheduled to receive a bench trial in front of District Judge Don Bourne Aug. 26. Jim Pate, an attorney representing Ward and Kendrick, entered the innocent plea on behalf of his clients last week, according to district court records. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jack Thorp will prosecute the case.
Pope County Sheriff Sgt. Chad Maness, responding last month to a call from a neighbor about the alleged cruelty at the Ward and Kendrick residence at 105 Virden Circle near London, located approximately 20 dogs running free in the back yard and 10 more dogs attached to chains, all without access to food or water, according to police reports. Maness also located the dead puppy in the yard with the other dogs.
Ward returned to the residence as sheriff's deputies were attempting to relocate the dogs and confirmed he had been out of town "for a few days," according to Maness' report. Ward contended he had "left the dogs some food and water," Maness said, although the supplies had apparently run out while he was gone.
Along with the 30 dogs in the yard, Maness said there were also two more adult dogs in a dog pen and two adult dogs inside the residence. Ward told officers he "did not intend on having so many dogs; that they just got out of hand," according to the report.
Winters said it was apparent the animals were not being treated properly.
"This is a case of animal cruelty mixed in with pure negligence," Winters said.
Sheriff's officials took possession of several of the dogs with the assistance of animal control officers from Atkins and London. The dogs are presently being housed at those two cities. | Source: Courier News - July 16, 2005
Update posted on Jul 16, 2005 - 2:19PM |
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