*sigh* Here we go again - another animal abuser who simply moved to a new state to continue her bad behavior!
80 animals dead on Harney County ranch
The Associated Press
BURNS - Authorities discovered the remains of 60 horses and 20 cattle at a ranch co-owned by a Harney County woman who was recently arrested on charges of animal neglect.
Sheriff's deputies arrested 42-year-old Roxanna Still after getting a complaint about two horses dying on the ranch.
Deputies also saw about 75 malnourished animals and returned to the ranch Friday to remove them. While there, they discovered three pits filled with remains.
Harney County Sheriff Dave Glerup told The Oregonian newspaper the district attorney will decide whether the pits were created intentionally, which could turn the misdemeanor charges into felonies.
Glerup said Still was convicted on charges of animal cruelty in Texas in 2006.
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of ranch co-owner Richard Baldwin.
From another article:
Still was arrested on five counts of first-degree animal neglect and four counts of second-degree animal neglect, misdemeanors that carry fines. She was jailed for two days and released Friday.
FHOTD back in: So yeah, here we go again. She's a repeat offender who merely relocated and kept offending. We know that sex offenders do this. That is why we have a national database of them. Pet-Abuse.com has tried very hard to do the same with animal abusers, but not everybody reads it. And animal abusers don't have to register their location, so they simply move to a new state and begin all over again.
Check out Pet-Abuse's chart on state cruelty laws. How does your state stack up? If someone offends in your state, are they going to get a punishment that might actually stop them - or a wrist slap?
We can scream about these cases all day, but if you don't take the time to write to your Congresspeople and state representatives and ask for harsher penalties and nationwide tracking of offenders, this is just going to keep on happening. I bet Roxanna's neighbors had no idea what kind of a person she was - and that's sad.
As with other types of offenders, those of us who are law-abiding deserve the chance to protect ourselves (and our animals!) from those who are not. I am tired of the criminal having all of the rights, and I'm sure many of you agree with me!
