Dog housed without food, water or shelter
Iselin, NJ (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Dec 31, 2005
County: Middlesex
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Tameka Rayford
An Iselin woman was arrested June 22, 2006 after a six-month investigation into animal cruelty charges. Det. Bruce Chester said Tamika Rayford, 30, skipped her court date and he had made several unsuccessful attempts to arrest her. Complaints alleging animal cruelty were signed by state SPCA officer Al Peterson in January 2006. Chester said Rayford inflicted cruelty on her pitbull and failed to provide food, water and adequate shelter for the dog.
Chester recently drove past the house the woman rents on Trieste Street and saw that the property was for sale. He contacted the realtor and was able to obtain Rayford's cell phone number. Chester called Rayford, who he said lives in the home with her four young daughters, and told her he was a realtor who wanted to show the house to a prospective client. He said the house was an investment property, so Rayford would not have to move out if it was sold, so she was happy to comply. When she answered the door and came outside, a police officer in waiting took her into custody on the animal cruelty charge.
According to Chester, Rayford did not answer her door or telephone since March 2006, so police have been unable to present her with the warrants. "Sometimes the only way to root out these people is trickery,'' Chester said. ""The idea was just to get her out of the house, where she's easy bait. I just got lucky when I saw the for sale sign.''
Rayford is charged with animal cruelty, a criminal charge that is punishable by up to one year in jail and up to a $1,000 fine. She also has outstanding warrants from Union, Summit, Dunellen and North Brunswick, totalling $3,137. She was taken to the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick. References« NJ State Animal Cruelty Map
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