A Springfield pastor was arrested and charged with animal cruelty after a witness told police he saw the pastor throwing puppies from a pickup truck, according to a report.
Robert Tiencken said he saw Vincent Kohn, pastor of The Anointed Church of God, throwing several puppies into the woods and leaving them to die.
"He was actually throwing them, not setting them down, but throwing them as far as the trees. Just chucking them," Tiencken said. "He said, 'I told my wife. You don't have to call the police. You don't have to call them.'"
Tiencken called the police anyway.
The detectives who tracked down Kohn said they found the malnourished mother of the puppies chained-up at Kohn's home along with four or five more puppies that had no food or water, according to the news report.
The dogs are now being cared for at animal control.
Many of the abused puppies had lost patches of fur and some were covered with sores hidden beneath their fur.
Local media wanted to give the pastor a chance to speak for himself, but when reporter Jennifer Waugh arrived at Kohn's home, a livid man pulled into the driveway and started yelling, cursing, and threatening to sue the station.
"Any footage that y'all put on the news that shows you was past the property line, just know y'all going to get it," said the irate man.
He then sped away in reverse, nearly hitting an on coming vehicle. It was unclear if the man knew Kohn.
Kohn has been charged with abandonment and cruelty to animals with unnecessary suffering.
"I just wonder what his parishioners are going to think. It's just unbelievable," Tiencken said. "Just to haul buggy and leave them on the coldest night. It's just terrible." Case UpdatesA local pastor is in trouble after witnesses say they saw him ditching several puppies in the woods.
However, Pastor Vincent Kohn has a very different story. He's not denying he dropped the dogs off, although, he is denying he did anything wrong, and says he�s not a monster.
Kohn says people are blowing things out of proportion. The pastor of Anointed Church of God in Jacksonville is accused of dumping the puppies out of his pickup on Sunday, leaving them in a wooded area near Blanding Blvd.
Kohn admits to leaving five puppies, but says his relatives who live in the area were going to help him take care of the puppies.
The puppies' mother and several others were found at the pastor�s home, bringing the total to 11 dogs.
Kohn says the mother was not sick but had lost weight after giving birth to 10 puppies. He also says that since the arrest, he has received phone calls and messages including one in which a woman suggested he might be demon possessed.
Kohn says he did nothing wrong, and believes people should take a page from the Bible and not judge others.
All of the dogs are being treated for mites, but once they are healthy, they will be in need of good homes. | Source: WAWS - Feb 7, 2006
Update posted on Feb 10, 2006 - 10:37PM |
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