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AMANDA JANE SIMPSON and CODY MICHAEL WOOD charged after 348 animals rescued from an Owen County home

- Indiana, USA -

 

On July 2, 2024, the Owen County Sheriff’s Office was alerted to the possible neglect of a horse at a residence in the 3700 block of Truesdel Road in Gosport.

 

The deputy who responded to the residence reported that most of the animals on the property had no food or water.

 

The sheriff’s office then reached out to the Owen County Humane Society for assistance regarding the rescue of nearly 350 animals from the residence.

 

According to court documents, the poor animals showed signs of neglect, abandonment, and emaciation.

A dog who was found tied to a tree displayed several signs of neglect. Another dog who appeared “timid and scared” was found next to a pig pin and did not have any food or water. Inside the pig pin officials found seven different animal skulls and two animal carcasses.

Many chickens appeared to be missing feathers and displaying wounds on their feet.

Officials also discovered two horses whose ribs were visible through their coats.

A helpless duck that was found caught in a fence, a baby goat was found covered in feces, a goat carcass was discovered under an RV inside fencing along the property, and a dead rabbit was also found inside one of the crates housing chickens and rabbits.

 

In a Facebook post, the Owen County Humane Society said that they arrived at the scene on the afternoon of July 8, 2024, “to find most animals without food or water and many deceased animals in cages.” 

 

The agency removed the first 243 animals with the assistance of the Indiana State Board of Animal Health. Then the Humane Society returned to the property on July 18, 2024, to remove the remaining 105 animals totaling 348 innocent souls!

 

Among the rescued animals were 2 bearded dragons, 10 cats and kittens (one cat had six kittens shortly after being rescued), 225 chickens, 2 cows, 17 dogs and puppies, 29 ducks, 25 goats, 4 horses, 4 pigs, 9 rabbits, and 21 sheep.

 

In connection with this case, the Owen County Sheriff’s Office arrested 36-year-old AMANDA JANE SIMPSON and 31-year-old CODY MICHAEL WOOD (both pictured).

WOOD has been preliminarily charged with cruelty to an animal, a misdemeanor charge, and SIMPSON has been charged with cruelty to an animal and failure to properly dispose of a dead animal, which is a level 6 felony.

Court records show that WOOD was released on July 10, 2024, after posting $5,000 bond while SIMPSON was able to post her $7,500 bond on July 30, 2024.

The duo are scheduled to appear in a jury trial in Owen Circuit Court on January 21, 2025.

 

The Owen County Humane Society expressed gratitude toward its rescue partners who are assisting with this tremendous influx. The organization is facing an unimaginable hardship and needs donations. If you wish and can afford to help out, please click here. Thank you!

 

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Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is also sourced from FOX 59. Please note that details may be removed or new information added should updates become available.

In the case of charges being dropped, dismissed, or the case being purged, this article will be rectified accordingly, if official documentation is provided to Voice For Us.

  



 
 
 

DERRICK GLENN YOUNG accused of stealing a puppy and dragging him behind a bike causing him injuries

Updated: Aug 7, 2024

- Oklahoma, USA -

 

The Ardmore Police Department arrested 34-year-old DERRICK GLENN YOUNG (pictured).

 

On July 23, 2024, Officer O'Hanlon was on North Washington when he saw a male, later identified as YOUNG, riding a bike and dragging a small white dog on a leash behind the bike.

 

According to the report obtained by Voice For Us, “The dog appeared to be a puppy and appeared to be in distress.” The officer reported that the puppy was trying his best “to keep from being dragged.”

 

While Officer O'Hanlon fought against traffic trying to catch up with YOUNG, he saw that several times the leash would get tight, and the puppy would stumble forward to stay on his feet. Furthermore, according to Officer O'Hanlon, YOUNG “never looked back to check on the dog.”

 

Eventually, the officer was able to stop YOUNG at the intersection of 8th and A NE.

 

The puppy was sitting down panting very hard and holding his back paws up by using the back elbows. His feet were shaking as if in lots of pain and were dripping blood on the roadway. The outside temperature was in the low 90’s so the road was still hot to the touch.

Officer O'Hanlon reported that when he looked at the puppy’s feet, he saw that “on the back feet the skin was worn off and that was where the blood was coming from. The pads on all four feet were swollen, hot and very hard due to the trauma and hot pavement. When I pushed on the front pad, the puppy cried out in pain.” Officer O’Hanlon then told YOUNG to take the puppy across the street to the shade and YOUNG was going to make the puppy walk across so the officer made him carry the puppy.

 

Officer O’Hanlon retrieved a bottle of water and gave some to the puppy who was understandably eager to drink. “As soon as he finished, he lay on his side and stretched his feet out and tried to sleep”, stated the report.

 

The officer then called in Animal Control so they could take the puppy to the animal shelter.

 

When the officer told YOUNG that he was going to take the puppy, YOUNG did not seem to care and said that he had gotten the puppy the night before.

 

A couple of hours after Animal Control had picked up the puppy, Officer O’Hanlon went to the shelter to check on him and learned from staff that the pup had already been returned to his guardian whom I will refer to as Ms. C.

 

Reportedly, Ms. C. had adopted the puppy from the shelter on June 4, 2024, after he was born on March 31, 2024.

 

Staff at the shelter told Officer O’Hanlon that Ms. C. called them on July 22, 2024, and asked them whether her puppy was there because he was no longer in her backyard.

Thankfully, when the puppy was bought to the shelter by  Animal Control, staff called Ms. C. at work to give her the good news so she took off work and went to pick her furbaby up.

 

In a written statement provided to the police, Ms. C. said that on the afternoon of July 22, 2024, she put the puppy in the backyard to play and when she went to check on him after about 30 to 45 minutes, he was gone. She checked the gate and the fence and could not figure out how he had gotten out. The gate was shut and there were no holes in the fence.

 

The Carter County District Attorney’s Office has filed against YOUNG one felony count of cruelty to animals and one felony count of grand larceny.

 

The Ardmore Police Department kindly provided me with the puppy’s pictures whom they referred to as Binder.

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Disclaimer: This story is sourced from official documents provided to Voice For Us. Please note that details may be removed or new information added should updates become available.

In the case of charges being dropped, dismissed, or the case being purged, this article will be rectified accordingly, if official documentation is provided to Voice For Us.

 

 

YOUNG’s mugshot provided to Voice For Us by the Carter County Sheriff's Office.




 
 
 

MIESHA SHAWNTERIA BAXTON arrested – She left two dogs outside exposed to extreme heat, one died

- Indiana, USA -

 

The Evansville Police Department arrested 36-year-old MIESHA SHAWNTERIA BAXTON (pictured).

 

According to the affidavit obtained by Voice For Us, police received a call on August 2, 2024, from a man who was working next door to BAXTON and saw two dogs in her backyard. The caller advised that the “dogs did not appear to have any water or shade.”

 

Officers responded to BAXTON’s home in the 1000 block of Covert Avenue and when they walked out to the backyard, they sadly found one deceased dog and another dog who was alive but in distress from the heat.

 

Animal Control was called in and the responding officers began an investigation.

 

The deceased dog was attached to a thick chain that was around his/her stomach area and then again connected to a collar around his/her neck. As stated in the release, “The dog was in direct sunlight and had no shelter to escape the heat.” Officers reported that the chain was not long and the dog could not each the “empty overturned water bowls in the yard.”

 

Animal Control Officers advised that the dog’s gums were “beet red” which would indicate he/she was suffering from symptoms of heat stroke.  Animal Control removed the deceased dog and took the live one to be examined.

 

When police questioned BAXTON about the dogs, she said she put the dogs outside the day before at approximately 7:30 p.m. and left them in the backyard because her house was infested with fleas. BAXTON claimed that she checked on the dogs throughout the night until she went to sleep and added that she gave them water the following morning at 8:30.

 

Police also talked to the caller and he said that he took a hose and sprayed the live dog with water and then filled a bucket for the dog to drink.

 

BAXTON was placed under arrest and booked into the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office on animal cruelty charges. She was released after posting a meager $500 bond.

 

The affidavit does not contain additional information about the Voiceless Victims and at the time of writing, I have not heard back from the Evansville Police Department.

 

I took the liberty of naming the deceased dog Venice for the tribute image. Should his/her given name be made public, I will rectify it accordingly.

 

 

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Disclaimer: This story is sourced from the probable cause affidavit provided to Voice For Us.

Please note that details may be removed or new information added should updates become available.

In the case of charges being dropped, dismissed, or the case being purged, this article will be rectified accordingly, if official documentation is provided to Voice For Us.

  

 

BAXTON’s mugshot shared from the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office





 
 
 

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