A.C. Lawrence, 68, of Saraland man was charged with animal cruelty Wednesday, a month after police officers found a dead dog in his yard, and three other dogs malnourished, flea infested and without shelter, court records said.
He could not be reached for comment but his wife, Joyce Lawrence, said the allegations were not true and that her husband loved his dogs, which he used for hunting.
A neighbor complained about fleas and smells from Lawrence's yard, said police Sgt. Steve Stafford. An animal control officer discovered four dogs on chains. Stafford said he thought they were mixed-breed dogs. Lawrence said she thought one of them was a blue tick hound. One of them had been dead long enough to start to smell, Stafford said. One dog was malnourished and two others lacked shelter. All four dogs were infested with fleas, Stafford said.
Police took two dogs, which looked sickly, to the Saraland Animal Shelter, where one later died, Stafford said. The other is still at the pound and doing well, he said. They left the last dog, which looked healthy, with the owners, he said.
Lawrence said her husband did nothing wrong. One of the dogs had broken its neck the night before the officer arrived, possibly when it tried to jump the fence, she said.
The man, A.C. Lawrence, 68, was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty and is scheduled to appear in Saraland Municipal Court on Monday June 28, 2004. Case UpdatesAnimal cruelty charges dropped
However, police plan to file new charges against A.C. Lawrence
Saraland dropped charges Monday against a man accused of mistreating his dogs -- but police said they plan to file new charges soon.
A.C. Lawrence, 68, a Pentecostal preacher, was charged with animal cruelty in Saraland Municipal Court after police found a dead dog on his property. Police said they found three other dogs that were flea-infested and malnourished. Two of them lacked shelter, they said.
On Monday, at the request of city prosecutor Jeff Perloff, acting Saraland Judge Johnny Lane agreed to drop the animal cruelty charge. He did so without prejudice, meaning that the city can bring the charges back at any time.
Judge Holmes Whiddon removed himself from the case, saying he had known Lawrence for years. Lawrence said outside court that he has poured concrete for the judge.
Sgt. Steve Stafford, public information officer for the Police Department, said Lawrence could face new charges as soon as today. Instead of one case, he'll face four cruelty cases, one for each dog, Stafford said.
"It just makes a stronger case," he said.
Police allowed him to keep one dog that appeared healthy. They took the dead dog and the two dogs that appeared sickly, they said. One of those dogs later died in the city animal shelter. Lawrence said he had been told the dog died from heatstroke in the shelter, but Stafford said an autopsy revealed the dog died of heartworms.
The shelter still has one dog taken from Lawrence's property. He can't have the dog, Stafford said, because the case remains under investigation.
That dog is named Champ, Lawrence said. The other dogs weren't named.
Lawrence said he wasn't to blame for the death of either dog. The dog found dead in his yard had broken his own neck, he said. And the other dog died while under the city's care. | | Update posted on Jun 29, 2004 - 6:15AM |
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