Shirley R. Murray / William Hilliard - Bistol, Virginia

Jun 30, 2010: WANTED MAN FOUND IN DOG ABUSE CASE

Police had been looking for William Joseph Benjamin Hilliard, 74, following the discovery of 46 animals at a home on Lewis Street in Bristol, Virginia.

They had already charged on summonses 62-year-old Shirley R. Murray with 46 counts of failure to provide adequate care for the animals that were seized from the residence.

Officers located Hilliard earlier today at the Bristol Branch of Highlands Fellowship on Lee Highway. He was apparently discharged from the hospital yesterday, where he was taken after he became ill during the event that unfolded on Friday, but could not return to the home because it was deemed unfit for occupancy.

Police were able to locate him today because of a call from a person who recognized him and had heard through the news media that we were looking for him. It is not clear as to where Hilliard is actually staying right now, and the police department has offered to provide him assistance in finding a place to stay, but he insists that he has relatives in the area with whom he can stay..." More

Jun 29, 2010: TWO PEOPLE FACE 46 CHARGES IN DOG ABUSE CASE

After conferring with the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, Bristol, VA Animal Control Officer Deena Bouton has placed charges in the dog case from Lewis Street that was reported on Friday, June 25.

Shirley R. Murray, 62, was charged today with 46 counts of failure to provide adequate care for the animals that were seized from the residence.

William Joseph Benjamin Hilliard, 74, will also face the same 46 charges as soon as he is located. After the dogs were seized from the home on Lewis Street on Friday, Murray and Hilliard were not allowed to return because the house was deemed unfit for occupancy..." More

Jun 25, 2010: 50 dogs seized from Bristol, Virginia home

Authorities in Bristol, Virginia, say about 50 dogs have been seized from a house where animals were bred.

Investigators said the house Friday morning was covered in urine and feces. No one was immediately arrested.

Authorities said a couple who live in the house breed dogs and sell them out of a truck throughout the city.

According to the Bristol Herald Courier, the house was declared unfit for human or animal occupancy.

The dogs were taken to the pound at Jones Animal Hospital..." More

Animal hoarding cleanup costs county time, money

On Dec. 29, spent nearly 12 hours removing about 50 living, dead animals from home

by Gregg MacDonald

The case of a Mount Vernon woman who was charged last week with animal cruelty and animal hoarding illustrates the complexity of what is involved in removing more than 50 animals, both live and dead, from a residence.

On Dec. 22, an anonymous caller contacted authorities about seeing rats on residential property. One week later, on Dec. 29, Animal Control officers charged Megan Barber, 33, with animal cruelty and animal hoarding after spending nearly 12 hours removing over two dozen live cats, five dogs, a rabbit, three guinea pigs, a hamster, nine birds and 28 assorted dead animals from the single-family home located on the 3400 block of Ramsgate Terrace.

"There were rooms that could not be entered," said Fairfax County Police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell, who added that cluttered conditions including animal feces and debris made evacuating animals from the home difficult.

Officials said the initial medical conditions of the living animals ranged from poor to good, with most appearing unclean and malnourished. All animals were transported to local veterinarians to undergo health checks.

"The definition of hoarding is having so many things within a residence that you create a hazard to yourself and others," said former Fairfax County Hoarding Task Force Chairman John Yetman. "Animal hoarding becomes obvious when there are so many animals that an occupant cannot possibly take proper care of them all."

"What is interesting is that while there are county zoning restrictions on the number of dogs that can be kept in a residence, there is no enforceable limit for cats," Caldwell said.

"Animal cruelty charges can come into play if animals are not being properly cared for," Yetman said. "If the cats or other animals are not getting their shots, or proper food and water, that can do it."

Yetman added that some animal cruelty charges can be considered a felony and that a conviction can ban an individual from ever legally owning pets in the future.

"A case such as this recent one also incurs costs across all county agencies," he said.

The hoarding task force generally involves animal control officers, zoning officials, the county fire marshal, and can involve Child Protective Services as well as several other county agencies, according to Yetman.

Caldwell said that the county sees "several" such cases a year and that they generally rack up overtime hours for those involved, although she did not estimate overall costs involved..." More

Woman to serve probation time in animal hoarding case

By Alex Bridges

WINCHESTER -- A woman accused of hoarding 200 cats in her Frederick County trailer this spring tearfully pleaded guilty Tuesday to committing animal cruelty.

Linda Levea McLaughlin, 59, formerly of 211-37 Forest Lake Drive, Stephens City, appeared in Frederick County General District Court with her attorney, Paul Thomson, and she entered a guilty plea to one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty.

The judge then sentenced McLaughlin in accordance with a plea agreement reached between Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Ross Spicer and Thomson. Whitacre sentenced her to 360 days in jail and suspended the term in its entirety. The judge ordered her to serve three years of unsupervised probation and to pay court costs.

No fines were imposed with the sentence, nor did authorities ask the judge to order her pay restitution.

A special term of her probation forbids her from owning more than one cat or any other domesticated animal during that time, the judge explained to the defendant. In addition, McLaughlin must inform Deputy Meghan Moreland, an animal control officer with the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, or her successor, of her place of residence during that time, according to the judge..." More

Oct 10, 2009: Woman will plead guilty in cat hoarding, cruelty case

Agreement allows McLaughlin to avoid jail after more than 200 felines were found in trailer

By Alex Bridges

WINCHESTER -- A woman accused of hoarding cats in her Frederick County trailer will plead guilty to committing animal cruelty, a law enforcement officer familiar with the case said Tuesday.

Linda Levea McLaughlin, 59, formerly of 211-37 Forest Lake Drive, Stephens City, was scheduled to appear in Frederick County General District Court on Tuesday for an adjudicatory hearing on one count of cruelty to animals.

Prior to the hearing, the commonwealth and her attorney, Paul Thomson, had reached an agreement that would allow McLaughlin to avoid jail time in exchange for her guilty plea to the class 1 misdemeanor charge.

Deputy Megan Moreland, an animal control officer for the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, had been one of several people subpoenaed to testify at the hearing. Outside the courtroom, Moreland explained that both sides had reached a plea agreement. McLaughlin would plead guilty to the single count she faced but under the agreement would serve no jail time, Moreland said. In addition, she would not be required to pay any fines that otherwise would have been ordered, she said.

But for the next three years, McLaughlin would not be allowed to own more than one cat, as a condition of her probation, Moreland said..." More

July 28, 2009: Woman in court of cruelty count

More than half of rescued cats have died since May 13 seizure by law enforcement

By Alex Bridges

WINCHESTER -- More than 120 of the nearly 200 cats rescued in Frederick County in May have since died, and the woman accused of hoarding the felines faces an animal cruelty charge.

Linda Levea McLaughlin, 58, of 211-37 Forest Lake Drive, Stephens City, appeared Monday before Judge David S. Whitacre in Frederick County General District Court. Authorities charged her with the class 1 misdemeanor offense of animal cruelty.

Frederick County deputies rescued 193 live cats and found several carcasses in an initial search on May 13. They trapped several more in the following days and took all the animals to the Esther Boyd Animal Shelter. County building inspectors also declared the trailer unfit for habitation.

"I've been homeless since all of this occurred," McLaughlin said through tears, adding she had not been back to the area until the hearing.

The defendant said she wanted the court to appoint an attorney to represent her. Whitacre set a preliminary hearing date in McLaughlin's case for Oct. 6..." More

Harrisonburg couple sentenced for animal cruelty

HARRISONBURG, VA. — A Harrisonburg couple have been sentenced on animal cruelty charges stemming from the seizure of 31 animals.

A Rockingham County General District Court judge found 26-year-old Ronald Lee Adams and 20-year-old Tiffany Kay Dimick guilty of misdemeanor animal cruelty on Tuesday. Judge Richard Claybrook called the couple's actions "irresponsible."

Claybrook sentenced Adams to 10 days in jail. Dimick, who is pregnant, received five days of litter pickup. Both defendants also received one year of probation and were prohibited from owning animals for the next two years.

Authorities acting on a tip raided a home in Timberville on Aug. 10 and seized 31 animals, including dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rats and a squirrel. Nine animals later died..." More

Oct 14, 2009: Couple Pleads to

Animal Cruelty Charges

A couple from Timberville has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty after dozens of starving pets were removed from their home.

A couple from Timberville has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty after dozens of starving pets were removed from their home.

Tiffany Dimick and Ronald Adams entered the guilty plea Tuesday.

Both of them are ordered to pay a $100 fine and reimburse the SPCA for caring for the animals. They also cannot own animals for two years.

Adams will serve ten days in jail, but Dimick will not go to jail.

In August, deputies removed dogs, cats, rabbits and a squirrel from the home. Deputies say the animals did not have food or water.." More & video

Sept 6, 2009: Got An Animal House?

By Pete DeLea

HARRISONBURG - Queenie, a German shepherd who was among 31 animals seized from a Timberville home last month, lost her seven puppies.

Rockingham County SPCA officials say the seven puppies, along with two kittens, have died. But the remaining 22 animals - which range from cats and dogs to rabbits and rats - should be available for adoption soon.

"We already have some potential adopters, so we're very happy about that," said Anne Anderson, executive director of the local SPCA.

On Aug. 13, Rockingham County deputies and animal control officers raided a home in the 8000 block of Wine Store Road, following a tip they received the previous day.

Outside the home, deputies found 12 dogs chained to a kennel. They had little or no food and the water available was unfit to drink, deputies said.

In addition to the dogs, three rabbits, some guinea pigs, a rat, multiple cats and a squirrel were seized. The squirrel has since been transferred to the Virginia Wildlife Center.

Deputies have charged Ronald Lee Adams, 26, and Tiffany Kay Dimick, 20, both of Harrisonburg, with misdemeanor animal cruelty.

The suspects are due in Rockingham County General District Court on Tuesday.

While the criminal case moves forward, SPCA officials are attempting to nurse the animals, which were initially said to be in "poor condition," back to good health.

While some of the cats - Mary, Midnight and Patches - have respiratory illnesses, Anderson said many of the animals are gaining weight.

Megan, a black-and-white Great Dane that stands more than 5 feet tall, has become a favorite among staffers.

"She seems to be the favorite because of her personality," Anderson said..." More

Dog Photo by Pete Marovich