Illinois ACO Charged with Animal Cruelty
May 26, 2012
Last weekend, a Macon Co ACO with several years of experience had his AC vehicle parked outside his home. The stench emanating from the truck in the 90 degree heat was overwhelming enough that a neighbor called the police. Sheriff’s deputies came to investigate and discovered a dead groundhog next to a live 4 week old kitten. The animals had been in the truck for 2 days. The kitten was taken to a vet for treatment and is now reportedly doing well in the care of the AC director. The suffering of the kitten is terrible to contemplate but possibly pales in comparison to the suffering of the groundhog:
Police are still investigating details of the case and couldn’t say for sure if the groundhog had also been dead when it was placed inside the truck.
“At this point, I am not 100 percent sure either way,” said Lt. Jeff Scheibly, who oversees animal control. “It may have died in the back of the truck.”
The ACO reportedly told police he knew about the groundhog being in the truck but “was unaware he had left the kitten” there. He was arrested and charged with one count of animal cruelty. Jail time is described as “very unlikely”. An internal disciplinary hearing will determine if the ACO receives anything from a reprimand up to termination. He has been suspended with pay.
If the investigation reveals the groundhog was alive at the time he was placed in the truck, I hope a second charge of animal cruelty will be filed against the officer. And if this ACO is found guilty, I hope Macon Co does the right thing and terminates him. I’ll post an update on this case if I come across one but please help me by looking out for developments on this story.
(Thank you Clarice for sending me the link.)
Note: The original title of this post incorrectly identified the state as Georgia and has been corrected to Illinois.
Former Memphis ACO Indicted
April 17, 2012
Despite stumbling blocks in the judicial system, former Memphis ACO Demetria Hogan has officially been indicted on multiple charges in connection with the disappearance of Kapone and the cruel killing of Max:
Former Memphis Animal Services employee, Demetria Hogan, has been indicted on four counts of official misconduct, one count of forgery, one count of theft of property and one count of cruelty to animals.
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Official misconduct, forgery, and theft of property between $500.00 and $1,000.00 are all class E Felonies. Upon conviction, each count carries a sentence range from one year to six years. Cruelty to Animals is a Class A Misdemeanor, with a sentence of up to eleven months and 29 days.
I am disappointed that she is facing only a misdemeanor cruelty charge for what she did to Max. It’s not justice but hopefully if found guilty, she will receive the maximum punishments on the felony charges since she has a criminal record.
TN ACOs Charged with Animal Cruelty
March 29, 2012
Two ACOs in Sullivan Co, TN were charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty this week in connection with an incident involving a shelter pet one year ago. The ACOs allegedly failed to provide appropriate care for the animal and the word “torture” was mentioned:
“In Tennessee, the State Legislature has defined torture of an animal to be any act, omission, or type of neglect that causes pain or suffering,” [Sullivan Co Assistant DA Julie] Canter said. “(Failure to provide necessary care) can be obviously failure to provide veterinary care to an animal that’s in pain or suffering or any other type of care that’s needed.”
The ACOs are currently on paid leave. Both are pet owners. If convicted, I know a place in TN where they could probably get a job and fit right in.
Steve Markwell on MAS Security Camera Videos
March 10, 2012
Steve Markwell from Olympic Animal Sanctuary is one of the few rescuers in this country who works primarily with, as the group’s website states, “dogs you’d rather see dead”. He handles dogs who have been chained 24/7 all their lives, dogs who bite, feral dogs and other dogs most of us would not have the skills to approach responsibly. He’s very good at what he does. I value his opinion. As such, I sent him these videos from the security camera footage at MAS and asked him to comment for the blog. While I realize Steve’s specialty is different from the typical dogs at MAS where the overwhelming majority are regular pets, I thought his unique perspective would add value to the discussion Here is what he had to say:
A catch pole can be used gently, as a safety device, or it can be used as a weapon. When you buy one, it comes with instructions that specifically instruct users not to drag animals or to lift them off the ground. Virtually anyone could be given the instruction page and could make an informed judgment that these videos display a grossly inappropriate use of this product. Unfortunately, there is a larger issue at hand, which is that the behavior of the officer in the videos is cruel, it’s deliberate, and it’s completely unnecessary. I can think of no circumstance where this type of handling is warranted or acceptable. For the vast majority of fearful dogs, spending a few extra minutes makes it possible to avoid using a catch pole altogether, and for the tiny remainder that pose an actual threat to the handler, they should be maneuvered into a secure carrier so as to minimize the length of time that they are snared. If necessary, the dog’s weight is easily calculated by weighing the dog in the carrier, then weighing the empty carrier and subtracting the result from the original weight. It is abundantly clear that the intent of officer in these videos is torture, and the cold indifference evident in this person’s body language is alarming, and suggestive of a violent, dangerous individual. That such behavior would be tolerated and that such a person would be allowed to continue to work with animals is truly horrifying.
Thank you Steve for sharing your insight and for doing the important work you do.
MAS Security Camera Footage Documents Animal Abuse
March 5, 2012
A couple of notes about these clips, which are taken from security camera footage at the Memphis pound via FOIA request: Everything seen below has been previously posted over the weekend. I haven’t yet reviewed any additional footage. What I did was splice together the clips in sequential order to show one adult dog and one puppy from the time they are taken off the ACO truck until they are forced into cages at MAS. Alert readers will notice that the times don’t match up exactly however it seems clear to me that the clips are of the same ACO, the same dog and in the only order that makes sense. As such, I believe the timestamps are slightly off. If you see anything different, please let me know.
For anyone who hasn’t already viewed these clips as they were previously posted (in bits, as I came across them), please be warned: they depict animal abuse and are difficult to watch. In my opinion, the ACO is inflicting violence, pain and suffering upon these pets. I’m not a prosecutor but it looks like a chargeable animal cruelty offense to me. Please take care if any children or other sensitive people are near your computer when viewing. I don’t like to post animal cruelty images on the blog but this is part of an effort to bring about reform and these pets otherwise have no voice.
IMPORTANT – If anyone knows if either of these dogs (or any of the pets we’ve seen on the clips thus far) are still alive at MAS, please let me know. I would like to help them. You can leave a comment, anonymously if you prefer, or contact me privately. I will keep your name off the blog if you request same. I really just want to see if we can help any of these pets.
Three Dogs Dragged Off ACO Trucks at MAS
March 4, 2012
This clip, obtained via FOIA request, shows 2 adult dogs and 1 puppy being dragged off the ACO truck at the Memphis pound. They are recognizable as dogs we’ve seen abused on other camera views. (I have put together the 3 different clips of the one adult dog and the puppy and will post those tomorrow.)
Warning: This video shows dogs being hauled from the truck down to the concrete via chokepole, lifted by the chokepole and one dog appears to be dragged directly into a wall, smashing his head.
If you would like to join our letter writing campaign, please contact city leaders in Memphis to speak for the pets at MAS. Please keep your comments respectful. We can condemn what’s going on at the pound while maintaining civility and a sense of professionalism.
MAS Workers Using Chokepoles Inappropriately
March 3, 2012
These 3 snippets appear to show 2 different workers using the chokepole to drag and lift dogs into cages. The last two dogs are recognizable as the ones who were dragged off the ACO truck and onto the scale. The clip of the first dog seems to show inappropriate use of the chokepole while the second two clips look like animal cruelty to me.
Warning: Animal abuse
Video Appears to Show Animal Abuse by ACO in Stark Co, OH
February 21, 2012
This disturbing video appeared on YouTube last week. It appears to show an ACO dragging a compromised dog (drugged and/or injured?) from the truck on a chokepole to a cage, spraying him with a hose, then dragging him back out on to the wet floor. Another person comes out and interacts with the dog and the tape ends with the dog still lying on the wet concrete. It is very difficult to watch and I would not recommend it to sensitive readers.
I have been reaching out to various people, including Stark Co officials, trying to get additional information but haven’t received any responses. The description which accompanies the video on You Tube reads:
This is the beginning of security tape footage requested as a public record from the Stark County Dog Warden Department. Sad to say, after the abuse seen in the video, this dog who had been darted in an artery by Deputy Phil Sedlacko (the deputy in the video who turned the high-powered hose on him), bled to death on the cold cement floor of the isolation room at the department. Several department employees went in to look at the dog, but no one seemed to find it necessary to take the dog to the vet where it could have been humanely euthanized. The dog’s name was Garfield.
I held off posting because I was hoping to verify the claims above and get clarification on what appears to be abuse in the video. But since I have been unsuccessful in that endeavor and since the video does appear to show cruelty at the hands of a public employee paid to protect pets from harm, I’m posting the link to the video.
If anyone has any information to add regarding this video, please share.
Cruelty at the Denver Pound
February 9, 2012
A Denver ACO named Jennifer Mooney was convicted of animal cruelty this week in connection with a July 2010 incident in which two dogs in her van suffered in the heat for hours. One dog died and the other was at the seizure stage which precedes death in cases of hyperthermia. The two charges of negligent animal cruelty are misdemeanors and Ms. Mooney could get up to two years in prison.
There was a thermometer in Ms. Mooney’s van but it monitored the temperature in the cab, not the temperature in the cargo area. The ACO’s attorney “blamed poor training, poor equipment and policies that he said require officers such as Mooney to cart animals around for hours rather than dropping them off at a shelter”. The prosecutor argued that Ms. Mooney had an obligation to check on the dogs in the back of her van during the six hour period she drove them around in the summer heat.
A commenter identifying himself as “Jon T” on the Denver Post website and claiming to have worked as an ACO in Denver for 5 years says, in part:
We were constantly told that we were not allowed to come in and drop off dogs on hot days, on cold days, didn’t matter. The bottom line was that we were told to keep driving around generating revenue for the city while the dogs in the back of the van were tossed about in one large compartment, all of the animals forced to be in the same cage together. By the end of the shift, the animals would come out of the vans covered in dog s***, shaking, vomiting, etc. The sergeants didn’t care, the administration didn’t care, because none of them ever had to face the owners of the animals.
Is there a culture of abuse at the Denver pound with ACOs being instructed to neglect the pets in their care or was the July 2010 incident an isolated occurrence? I contacted the Denver pound with some questions regarding their stray transport protocols yesterday but have not received a reply. If I do, I will update this post.
Updated: Justice for Kapone and Max Eroding
November 21, 2011
Demetria Hogan, the former Memphis ACO who uh, “lost” Kapone and then attempted to evade police while a dog named Max suffered and died in her truck, went before a judge today and got her charges reduced:
A judge has decided former Memphis Animal Services employee Demetria Hogan will now only face one count of animal cruelty.
Way to set an example Memphis.
Update: Another news source describes 2 of the 3 charges as “dismissed for now”:
One count of animal cruelty against a former Memphis Animal Services officer was bound over to a grand jury today, while two other counts were dismissed.
Demetria Hogan faces the misdemeanor charge in a high-profile case involving a pit bull named Kapone that disappeared while in her care last summer and became the object of a citywide search.
[...]
State prosecutor Bryan Davis said “an essential witness” was missing today in that case, but that both dismissed cases still will be presented to the grand jury along with the Kapone case.
Stay tuned.
