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Case ID: 13222

Classification: Neglect / Abandonment

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

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Attorneys/Judges

Prosecutor(s):	Rick Bridgeman
Defense(s):	Gina Grady
Judge(s):	David Motes

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Puppy mill - over 300 dogs
Nicholson, GA (US)

Incident Date: Friday, Feb 22, 2008
County: Jackson

Charges: Misdemeanor, Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 2 files available

Alleged:
» Marie Dorothy Hughes
» Jennifer Marie Hughes
» Brandy Shree Stone
» Ronnie Hughes

Case Updates: 5 update(s) available

The state has shut down an east Georgia dog-breeding facility after a former employee complained of inhumane conditions.

The state Department of Agriculture seized L&D Farm and Kennel in Nicholson last week. The complaint, filed by 19-year-old Tiffany Butler, details cramped, dirty breeding barns full of more than 300 dogs with open sores and mange.

According to the complaint, the dogs were malnourished and kept in dirty pens full of feces and urine.

The animals are still on the farm but the kennel is not allowed to sell any more dogs for now. Jackson County Manager Darrell Hampton said Saturday that several have been removed for veterinary care, and at least two had to be euthanized.

Hampton said authorities are exploring what, if any, charges will be filed against Marie Hughes, the farm's owner. She could not be reached for comment.

Case Updates

A Jackson County grand jury returned felony animal cruelty indictments this week against the four people who ran a kennel where state and local authorities found dozens of starving dogs living in squalid conditions last winter.

Marie Hughes, the owner of L&D Farm and Kennel on Sanford Road near Nicholson, her husband, Ronnie, and the two women who ran the kennel, Brandy Stone and Jennifer Hughes Epps, are scheduled to enter pleas in court Sept. 8 on two counts each of felony aggravated cruelty to animals and 133 counts each of misdemeanor cruelty to animals.

The indictment comes more than six months after a former employee gave the Jackson County animal control officer a cell phone video showing several malnourished dogs living at the kennel, triggering a criminal investigation that led to the seizure of hundreds of dogs.

Agents from the state Department of Agriculture and county animal control department raided the kennel Feb. 21, finding hundreds of dogs packed onto the property, a dead dog lying in a cage, a collection of dog bones and several dogs in need of veterinary care, according to a report County Manager Darrell Hampton sent to the county commissioners after the raid.

Agriculture officials removed almost 300 dogs from the property a week after the raid. A judge later stripped the four defendants of their legal rights to the animals and most have been adopted.

Jackson County District Attorney Rick Bridgeman asked grand jurors to approve both felony and misdemeanor charges because not every dog found at L&D Kennel suffered disfiguring injuries.

"Felony aggravated cruelty to animals applies when a person maliciously causes the death or disfigurement of an animal," Bridgeman said. "Misdemeanor cruelty to animals applies to someone who causes the unjustified suffering of an animal."

The aggravated cruelty to animals indictment announced Friday involves two Weimaraners that had been kept on the back half of the East Jackson property.

Agriculture department agents found one of the dogs, a 2-year-old female, dead in her pen, according to the indictment. A necropsy showed that the dog had starved to death.

The second Weimaraner, also a female, was malnourished and was covered with so many sores that one of her legs had to be amputated, Bridgeman said.

Each charge carries a sentence of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000 upon conviction, Bridgeman said in a statement issued Friday.

The misdemeanor charges allege 133 dogs were kept in unsanitary conditions. The indictment alleges that 19 of those dogs were denied medical treatment and at least one of them was deprived food and water.

Each misdemeanor count carries a possible penalty of up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

In addition, Marie Hughes faces possible fines from the agriculture department's Animal Protection Division for violating the terms of her kennel license in addition to criminal charges.

Source: Online Athens - Aug 22, 2008
Update posted on Aug 23, 2008 - 9:32AM

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A superior court judge Thursday night ordered the sale of hundreds of dogs found in deplorable conditions at a Jackson County breeding facility, and that the animals not be returned to their owners.

Judge David Motes, of the Piedmont circuit, ruled following a 6 1/2-hour hearing on dogs seized from the L&D Farm and Kennel in Nicholson. Motes said the dogs "were the objects of cruelty," and that their owners "caused unjustified suffering."

Citing testimony of inadequate food, shelter, sanitary living conditions and veterinary care as his reasons for the ordered sale, Motes said, "I'm not going to give any of the dogs back to the Hughes [family] right now."

The judge's decision prompted applause from many of the 50 spectators in the courtroom. His order cites 274 dogs, but officials counted mothers with litters as one dog apiece when they seized the animals, so in actuality more than 300 canines are affected.

Acting on a tip from a former kennel worker, state and county officials went to the farm on Feb. 21 and discovered the conditions there.

Marie Hughes, her husband, Ronnie Hughes, and daughters Jennifer Hughes and Brandy Stone have each been charged with five counts of felony animal cruelty and 55 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty.

State and county officials, as well as four veterinarians, testified at Thursday's court hearing about the horrible conditions of the dogs and the squalor of their surroundings. All of the animals were found covered in urine and feces. One vet, Gloria Andrews, testified that two Papillons had almost no hair. "They were just crusty," she said.

Hughes family members, free on bond, were in the courtroom. Their attorney, Gina Grady, said no decision had been made whether to appeal Mote's ruling.

Asked if she planned to appeal, Marie Hughes nodded yes. She also is appealing the suspension of her breeders and dealers licenses by the state.

Jackson County Attorney Jane Range said the various rescue groups caring for the dogs have incurred about $200,000 in veterinary and boarding costs to date. She said the county now will have to figure out a way to sell the dogs and reimburse the rescue organizations. If any money is left over, it will go to the Hughes family.

Four Hughes family pets were not ordered sold, but the judge declined to return them, saying that was an administrative matter.

Another attorney for the Hughes family has said they also would appeal a state Department of Agriculture March 20 administrative order in the case finding that the kennel had 1,450 violations when it was inspected Feb. 21, including allowing dogs to starve to death in their pens. That inspection triggered the raid a week later to remove the animals.

The order determined the Hugheses violated the Georgia Animal Protection Act and animal cruelty laws in the treatment of the dogs. The department suspended Marie Hughes' licenses for the breeding facility and sales at the nearby Pendergrass flea market and levied a $400,000 fine against her.

Hughes, first licensed by the state in 2001, breeds mostly small, highly adoptable dogs such as poodles, Chihuahuas, Pomeranians, Pekingeses and Cavalier King Charles spaniels.

The dogs have been recuperating with foster families and in the shelters of rescue groups, most of them in metro Atlanta. The animal rescue groups were asked to help because Jackson has no animal shelter and the state has no facilities to house dogs that must be impounded for their own safety.

Representatives of rescue groups said puppies taken from the farm were sick, and most of the adult dogs also had problems, ranging from skin infections and bad teeth to tumors and broken bones.

Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution - April 17, 2008
Update posted on Apr 17, 2008 - 11:24PM

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A hearing on whether or not some 300 dogs from a Nicholson "puppy mill" will be confiscated and released for adoption is slated for later this month.

A forfeiture hearing has been set for 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 17, before Judge David Motes in the Jackson County courthouse on the case.

In February, more than 300 puppies were removed from a Nicholson kennel following the arrests of the owners after allegations of abuse and neglect. The kennel license has been revoked by the Georgia Department of Agriculture and state officials said the owners would likely never be allowed to operate a kennel again because of the condition of the dogs.

David Gunter, an attorney representing the state department of agriculture, said at a board of commissioners meeting in March that the kennel owners could be facing up to $1 million in fines. He said the investigation is continuing by the state into the civil case. He said it would be up to the district attorney to pursue any criminal charges.

District attorney Rick Bridgeman said Tuesday that the criminal case is "still in the early stages of review."

"We have met several times with Jackson County Animal Control and understand that they are continuing to catalog and process the documentary and other evidence," Bridgeman said. "Once that has been completed and we have received their complete investigative report, we will make appropriate decisions in the case."

Kennel owners and operators, Marie, Jennifer and Ronnie Hughes and Brandy Stone, were all charged with misdemeanor and federal animal cruelty charges.

At the March Jackson County BOC meeting, a report was given on the condition of the puppies found at the kennel. It said the animals were found with broken bones, open sores, skin conditions, dehydration, malnourishment, severe dental issues and high parasite levels.

Source: Main Street News - April 3, 2008
Update posted on Apr 3, 2008 - 9:45PM

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Animal control officers began removing more than 300 dogs from a Nicholson-area kennel Thursday evening after a Jackson County Magistrate Court judge ordered the canines impounded as evidence in a cruelty case against four people.

The dogs will be housed temporarily at rescue shelters across Northeast Georgia until the owners of L&D Farm and Kennel formally surrender them or a judge terminates their ownership rights.

The owners - Jennifer Marie Hughes, 34; Brandy Shree Stone, 25; Marie Hughes; and Ronnie Hughes - each were charged this week with five felony and 55 misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals.

"The condition of the dogs is a testament to the condition of the environment in which they were being held," Jackson County Manager Darrell Hampton said Thursday. "We feel that it is the best interest of the dogs that they be taken off the property."

Investigators from the Jackson County Animal Control Department and the state Department of Agriculture - prompted by a former kennel employee's complaint - raided the 23-acre farm on Sanford Road east of Nicholson Feb. 21 and found a dead dog in a cage, a collection of dog bones, malnourished dogs and several dogs needing veterinary care, according to a report Hampton sent to Jackson County commissioners.

The Jackson County Humane Society and Rhonda Stibbens, a county animal control officer, have secured housing for 240 of the dogs and have tentative plans to house the rest.

Authorities have not released a complete tally of the dogs because several have had puppies since investigators raided the farm at 3606 Sanford Road.

"We still have the 296 dogs we started with last week," Hampton said. "But I couldn't tell you exactly how many there are. There are still pregnant dogs out there and so, well, you know how they do."

The dogs previously were left in the care of Stone and Jennifer Hughes under the supervision of animal control officers. However, attorneys assisting Jackson County in its investigation recommended removing the dogs from the property, Hampton said.

"We need to show that we're treating them better than the people we say were mistreating them, and house them in an environment that is superior to one we're saying wasn't fit," Hampton said. "If there is any problem, we want to show that we are offering better, a higher level of care."

Animal control officials are hoping to convince Marie Hughes, who holds the kennel license for L&D Farm and Kennel, to surrender ownership of the dogs. Still, officers plan to ask Jackson County Magistrate Court Judge Billy Chandler to terminate her ownership rights if she refuses to sign over the animals, Hampton said.

If Hughes' ownership rights are terminated, the dogs will be put up for adoption, he said.

Marie Hughes faces possible fines from the state Department of Agriculture's Animal Protection Division for violating the terms of her kennel license in addition to criminal charges.

In addition, E.C. Brogan, director of the Jackson County code enforcement and animal control departments, gave his department's file on the kennel to Jackson County District Attorney Richard Bridgeman on Thursday for possible action.

Source: Online Athens - February 28, 2008
Update posted on Feb 29, 2008 - 2:05PM

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Two of the owners of a Nicholson dog breeding kennel were arrested Tuesday afternoon on felony and misdemeanor charges as Jackson County officials continue to investigate reports of animal cruelty and neglect.

Jackson County sheriff's deputies arrested Jennifer Marie Hughes, 34, of Nicholson, on Tuesday afternoon at L&D Farm and Kennel. Brandy Shree Stone, 25, of Nicholson, turned herself in to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office later in the day.

Each faces five felony and 55 misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals.

Hughes' mother, Marie Hughes, and her father, Ronnie Hughes, also face animal cruelty charges and were expected to surrender to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office later this week.

About 300 dogs still live on the 23-acre farm at Sanford Road and Georgia Highway 334, where Jackson County Animal Control and the state Department of Agriculture launched an investigation last week into allegations the family was neglecting the dogs.

Once on the farm, officials found a dead dog lying in a cage, a collection of dog bones, malnourished dogs and several dogs in need of veterinary care, according to a report County Manager Darrell Hampton sent to Jackson County commissioners.

Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to pursue criminal charges against the family after viewing photos taken by agriculture department investigator Laura Blanton.

"We have very strong charges here," said Commissioner Jody Thompson. "I know we will have responsibility for the dogs, but if we were to walk in there and saw 300 prisoners, we wouldn't wait to negotiate with (the owners). That decision would only send a message that we don't care about animal abuse in Jackson County."

Blanton said the photos, which are part of the agriculture department's investigation, are not available to the public, but she shared them with commissioners to help them make a more informed decision.

"We are extremely pleased that the Jackson County Commission is going to bring criminal charges against the owners of this farm," said state Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin, whose department is responsible for regulating dog breeding in Georgia. "We have issued several citations against these operators; my staff is right on top of it."

The agriculture department cited the Hughes family's kennels over the years but never had enough evidence to revoke their kennel license. Agriculture officials have inspected buildings at the front of the property, Irvin said, but never visited several buildings on the back of the family's land.

Jackson County commissioners considered negotiating a settlement with the kennel's owners to force them to give up the dogs and kennel license, in order to avoid criminal charges.

While county commissioners oversee the animal control department, prosecutors might have pressed charges anyway, according to Piedmont Circuit District Attorney Richard Bridgeman.

"I've never heard of anything like (this vote) before," Bridgeman said Tuesday.

Commissioners were worried about who would care for the dogs if they charged the owners. The Jackson County government does not operate an animal shelter, and the number of puppies and pregnant dogs at the kennel would overwhelm shelters run by private organizations and neighboring counties.

The Jackson County Humane Society agreed to organize private rescue groups to care for the dogs if the owners surrender them to the county or a judge seizes them, society President Angela Gosnell told commissioners.

The kennel's operators have been barred from removing animals from the property since the agriculture department issued a stop-work order Thursday, but the family and kennel workers have had access to the dogs. Several dogs have given birth since investigators arrived at the farm, making it difficult to keep an accurate count of the dogs involved in the case, said Arty Schronce, an agriculture department spokesman.

E.C. Brogan, chief of the county Code Compliance Division who oversees the county's animal control office, said Monday kennel workers have cleaned the kennels and cared for the dogs since Thursday.

The family took more than 20 of the dogs to a veterinarian, Brogan said, but wouldn't comment more because the investigation continues.

Source: OnlineAthens - February 27, 2008
Update posted on Feb 27, 2008 - 1:22PM

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References

Georgia State News - Feb 24, 2008
46 News - Feb 24, 2008
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Puppy mill - over 300 dogsNicholson, GA (US)

Case Updates

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Puppy mill - over 300 dogs
Nicholson, GA (US)