Thursday, August 23

Charge Filed Over Puppy Thrown From Pickup

Front Page article in The Courier - 8/23/2007 - Reprinted without permission

Three month SPCA investigation results in felony prosecution for animal cruelty

A Hardin County man has been arrested on a felony animal cruelty charge for allegedly hurling a puppy from a speeding vehicle in front of the Savannah Animal Shelter in May.

The dog sustained mortal injuries and was later euthanized by a veterinarian.

Jimmy Vance Hill, 32, of 60 Pinson Way, was arrested by sheriff’’s deputies and jailed Aug. 18 on a charge of aggravated animal cruelty. He was subsequently released on $5,000 bond.

Contacted by the Courier on Tuesday, Hill maintained he is innocent and threatened to sue his accusers for defamation.

"I’’m angry that my name has been brought up in this. I can prove where I was that day," said Hill. "I’’m looking forward to getting this over with and getting my name cleared."

The alleged crime is a Class E felony punishable by one to six years imprisonment and a fine of up to $3,000.

Hill’’s arrest followed a three-month investigation by the Hardin-Metro Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (HMSPCA).

The animal protection organization said evidence in the case includes sworn statements by several witnesses including individuals close to the suspect.

Evidence was collected by HMSPCA investigators Jerrilove Crockett and Peter Westrick and turned over to the district attorney.

Less than a week after the incident, Horse Creek Wildlife Refuge and Animal Sanctuary offered a $5,000 reward leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators. Rapid Print of Savannah donated hundreds of posters——advertising the reward——which were distributed throughout the county by HMSPCA members and volunteers.

The case began May 21.

Four witnesses, including a 4-year-old child standing in front of the Savannah Animal Shelter on Airport Road said they saw a white puppy thrown from a red, late-model Ford pickup truck speeding by the facility.

Mary Davis, who operates Tennessee River Rescues, said the puppy bounced off the pavement and began "screaming."

Davis speculated at the time that the occupants of the truck lived outside the city and planned to leave the dog on shelter property. When they saw people outside the facility, she surmised, they tossed the puppy out the window and sped off.

"The only thing that links me to this scene is I have an F-150 pickup. I never drive it," Hill contends.

He said also that he believes witness descriptions have changed during the course of the investigation, and that the Savannah Animal Shelter even allowed him to adopt a dog after the incident.

"It kind of upsets me that someone would do that to a puppy," Hill said. "I love animals. I’’ve got more than I know what to do with, and they get good care."

Hardin County government ceased funding its portion of animal control costs shared with the city of Savannah in 2005.

One fiscal crisis facing commissioners then was a federal court case which ultimately forced the county to build a new jail. Some elected officials have also mentioned a "personality conflict" between a former city manager and county officials.

Citing the lost funding, the city Animal Control Department and Animal Shelter now turn away county residents with animal welfare problems.

A city worker at the shelter said this has resulted in people dumping unwanted pets at the facility after hours and sometimes tossing them over the fence, often causing injury.

Ted Cook estimates the county’’s population of unwanted dogs and cats has grown to "at least 10,000 animals" in the last two years based on city animal control data. He calls the problem a "public health crisis" that poses dangers of rabies and animal attacks on humans, pets and livestock.

Cook is executive director of Hardin-Metro SPCA, which was formed earlier this year by local residents to promote animal welfare issues. Stanley Shaw is president of the group whose board of directors includes a veterinarian, a banker, an attorney and animal welfare advocates.

Crockett and Westrick, the organization’’s animal control investigators and members of the board, are both retired San Diego, Calif., police officers with extensive law enforcement experience.

In the wake of of HMSPCA lobbying and perhaps growing public concern, the Hardin County Commission earmarked $50,000 of the 2007-2008 budget for animal control. Commissioners have also appointed an animal control committee whose task is to develop a new animal control program.

Cook and HMSPCA members envision a program that includes a county animal control department with enforcement officers and a shelter. He said the program could be modeled after successes in other counties which use pet and breeder licensing and registration fees, along with public and private grants, for funding.


Respectfully submitted for your consideration

Ted