Friday, October 2, 2009

CAPTURED: William Hanson

Oct 2, 2009: Tipster helped police catch pair that hoarded pets

JULIE STEWART

MOUNTAIN HOME — An old-fashioned law enforcement tool helped authorities catch William and Tammy Hanson, who officials said were on the run for more than three years in a notorious animal cruelty case in Baxter County.

Tipsters turned them in, officials said Wednesday.

Tammy Hanson was arrested in Caledonia County, Vt., in July after a caller contacted law enforcement officers and alerted them to her whereabouts, Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery said.

Her husband was picked up Sept. 22 in Missouri, based on information provided by two callers.

The Humane Society of the United States paid rewards of $1,250 each to the pair who tipped deputies to William Hanson’s location, said Desiree Bender, the society’s Arkansas director.

The organization tried to pay a reward to the Vermont tipster, too. But the person wouldn’t give a name, and the Humane Society couldn’t cut a reward check without a name, Bender said.

The tipster wanted to give the reward money to the Caledonia County sheriff’s department, she said. But the sheriff’s office couldn’t legally accept such a payment directly from the Humane Society...." More

William Hanson captured in Mo.; faces new animal cruelty charges

William Henry Hanson, wanted in Baxter County for failing to report for sentencing on animal abuse charges in 2006 and a fugitive from Vermont on animal cruelty charges there, was captured Tuesday near Holden, Mo.

Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery said Hanson, 44, formerly of Gamaliel, was arrested on an outstanding misdemeanor arrest warrant from Baxter County for failure to appear for sentencing after his conviction in district court in 2006 on several counts of cruelty to animals.

He's the husband of Tammy C. Hanson, who also was convicted of animal cruelty and other charges in the Baxter County case that had garnered national attention. Both had been fugitives until Tammy Hanson was arrested July 18 in Caledonia County, Vt. She has been in custody there since then while fighting extradition to Arkansas, Montgomery said.

William Hanson had failed to appear for his Sept. 14 court date in Caledonia County on charges of misdemeanor animal cruelty concerning four dogs locked in his residence without food or water and in unsanitary conditions, and Vermont authorities also found another 30 dogs in the residence.

A Vermont warrant was issued for Hanson's arrest with a $25,000 cash bond ordered, Montgomery said, when Hanson, all of the dogs, and a motor home went missing from the premises.

Authorities in both Baxter County and Vermont began receiving citizen tips indicating that William Hanson had fled to Missouri, Montgomery said. Acting on those tips, the Baxter County Sheriff's off-ice worked with law enforcement officials in Johnson County, Mo., to determine a course of action.

The Johnson County Sheriff's office took Hanson into custody without incident on the outstanding Baxter County warrant Tuesday morning in a rural area near Holden.

Hanson is to appear in court in Johnson County today to determine whether he will waive extradition to Baxter County on the warrant. Missouri authorities are attempting to place the dogs in William Hanson's custody with the local Humane Society, according to Montgomery..." More

ALERT-Wanted! William Hanson running again-UPDATE- fugitive for 4 years/abuse of 600 dogs.

By: Mary Bushnell

"...If you remember, I reported in July about a couple that had been on the run almost 4 years for warrants in Missouri and Arkansas on animal abuse charges. A lot of animals-over 600 dogs were found dead or dying on their property. A very dark story indeed. Fugitives wanted for abuse/neglect of 600 dogs arrested in Vermont. At that time it was described as the biggest animal cruelty case in U.S. history. I hope the record hasn’t been broken.After changing identities they were finally arrested in Vermont after being wanted for 3 ½ years. Well that isn’t the end of the story.

Mr. William Hanson appears to be running again. While his wife, Tammy, is still in custody as a fugitive from justice in Vermont, he was evidently not in custody. She has been fighting extradition to Arkansas. They are facing new charges in Vermont for an additional 30 dogs that were found to be neglected. He failed to appear for a sentencing hearing on this charge and….you guessed it, he is gone again. Must have decided not to take his chances. Not only is he gone, all of the dogs and the motor home are also gone. The reason that they were charged with these new offenses is that they evidently obtained a dog through deceptive means (again) and when authorities arrived at the home to investigate they found 4 dogs in “deplorable” shape.

I am not familiar with the current charges in Vermont regarding the 30 dogs, but the details and pictures of the 600 dogs from 2005 were horrible. These people may be hoarders but they were "with it" enough to evade the police for several years. I’m not even sure I buy the hoarder definition, as the dogs in their care (a lot of which they took from victims of Katrina telling them they would return them) died in their cages. Captive and suffering. That goes far beyond and above most people’s definition of cruelty. Not to mention the deception they used to obtain the dogs in the first place.

William Hanson, 44, is reported to possibly be using the following vehicles:

Officials say he may be operating silver Ford Expedition with Montana registration 3C-5751G or a large tan and white motor home bearing Montana registration 3C-9341H. He may be towing a black Road master trailer bearing Montana registration 3A4466. Anyone who sees Hanson or knows where he may be is asked to contact the Caledonia County Sheriff’s Department at (802) 748-6666 or their local police department.

Innocent or guilty, both these people need to be contained long enough to face the charges. If you have any information, please call the number above. At the very least, the dogs Mr. Hanson took with him may be in jeopardy. Most trailers are not set up to haul live cargo, and it is summer. It is anyone’s guess what he did with the dogs. These people do not have a good track record. There are enough dog lovers out there I am hoping that someone will see this man and report it.