Thursday, September 29, 2011

Bradley & Elizabeth Roden - Lakeland, Florida


Man Receives Probation in Animal Hoarding Case



A Lakeland man accused of hoarding animals has been sentenced to four years of probation.
In March, deputies seized more than 180 dogs from the Miranda Trail home of Bradley Michael Roden, 61, and his wife, Elizabeth Roden.
Bradley Roden accepted a deal Tuesday with the State Attorney's Office. He pleaded no contest to 20 misdemeanor counts of confining animals without sufficient food, water or exercise.
Roden was also facing a felony charge of possessing a short-barreled shotgun. However, prosecutors agreed to drop that count as part of the plea deal.
Bradley Roden was also ordered to perform 75 hours of community service.
Under the terms of the agreement, he cannot possess more than four animals and must follow any instructions for their care issued by Polk County Animal Control.
Elizabeth Roden continues to face misdemeanor charges..."  More



County Animal Control Officer Resigns After Review of Hoarding Case


By MATTHEW PLEASANT


When deputies arrived in March at the home of a couple accused of hoarding 186 animals in squalid conditions, they found more than neglected dogs.
On the same property, within 150 yards of the couple's home, lived their neighbor and tenant: a Polk County Animal Control officer.
Kristina Brinn, 29, rented a home from the couple for more than a year in North Lakeland and failed to report what investigators describe as the obvious animal cruelty occurring next door, according to a Sheriff's Office internal investigation.
The couple, Bradley and Elizabeth Roden, together face 60 misdemeanor animal cruelty charges. Deputies seized their animals, investigators said, some of them ailing and in plain view of Brinn's home.
Investigators found that Brinn, an 11-year veteran of animal control, visited the Rodens four times in response to animal complaints before moving to their property near Rockridge Road in November 2009. She also attended their holiday dinners and birthday parties.
Brinn, who made about $31,200 a year, resigned July 8 as the internal investigation came to a close. If she hadn't, the Sheriff's Office intended to fire her.
A report on the investigation said Brinn claimed to have never seen the Rodens' dogs in distress. She suggested that reporting her landlords to deputies was not in her best interest.
"I didn't think with me living there I should just call in and say, ‘Hey, there may be something wrong there,' and cause more problems for myself," Brinn told investigators..." More

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