Additional Details Released in Jefferson County Animal Cruelty Case

Scott Shindledecker

Scott Shindledecker

Published February 18, 2018 5:21 am
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JEFFERSON CO., Pa. (EYT) — More details have emerged in the animal cruelty case against two Jefferson County residents.

According to court documents, criminal charges were filed against 39-year-old David E. Williams and 34-year-old Gia Marie Weyandt, both of Timblin.

They are facing the following charges:

– Aggravated Cruelty to Animals – Causing Serious Bodily Injury or Death, Felony 3
– Neglect of Animals – Tethering, Misdemeanor 3
– Cruelty to Animals, Misdemeanor 2

Jefferson County Humane Officer Debbie McAndrew found one dog dead and another severely neglected at a Church Street residence in Timblin just before Christmas 2017.

McAndrew provided exploreJeffersonpa.com with additional details regarding the case.

“It is my understanding that they abandoned the house to live elsewhere after the electricity was turned off,” McAndrew said.

According to a criminal complaint, McAndrew received a call from Punxsutawney-based State Police at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, December 22, 2017, regarding a complaint about an abandoned dog.

Around noon on Saturday, a representative from Willow Run Sanctuary went to the Timblin property and posted it. A medium-sized brown dog, possibly a Rottweiler mix, was observed barking at the front window of the residence. The caretaker of the dog was asked to call McAndrew, but she never received a call regarding the dog, according to the complaint.

Then, around 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 24, the representative of Willow Run posted the property again. The same dog was observed, but it was behaving in a lethargic manner and not barking as much.

On Christmas Day, around 1:00 p.m., the representative of Willow Run visited the property for the third time. There was no sign in the snow of anyone else visiting the property. At this time, McAndrew proceeded with securing a search warrant.

“District Attorney Jeffrey Burkett was amazing, he responded right away to my email for the search warrant,” McAndrew said. “Since there was no power in the house, and it was dark out, for our safety, we waited until the next day to enter. A state trooper was there to help and cleared the home for our safety before we entered.”

The state trooper found there was no one in the home, and when McAndrew and the representative from Willow Run went into it, they saw a black male dog and immediately removed it and placed it in a warm vehicle.

“I can report that the dog is at Willow Run Animal Sanctuary and doing well,” McAndrew said.

McAndrew and the Willow Run representative searched the property. They found the floors of every room on the ground floor of the residence covered with debris. There were several animal dishes on the ground floor of the residence, but they were all dry. There were also multiple dog food bags, but they were all empty.

McAndrew then went to the second floor and entered an upstairs room located on the back side of the residence. There the officer found a medium-sized female black dog with a purple harness lying on the floor. It was deceased.

There were large amounts of animal feces located in three of the upstairs rooms. No animal dishes were seen.

No other animals were found in this residence.

McAndrew removed the body of the deceased dog and took the other dog immediately to Dr. Rapp, DVM, for care.

The deceased dog had a 2017 Jefferson County dog license attached to its harness. It listed Weyandt and Williams, at the Church Street address, as co-owners of this dog known as Chica.

The living dog matched the description of a dog named Bruiser, with Weyandt and Williams listed as co-owners.

McAndrew consulted with Warden Carlson, of Pennsylvania Dog Law for Jefferson County, and was told that on December 11, 2017, the dog named Bruiser was found loose in Timblin. Further investigation also revealed that a PSP-Punxsutawney Trooper had a conversation with Williams at the Church Street residence in October of 2017, concerning both of his dogs being tied outside, according to the complaint.

McAndrew repeatedly attempted to contact both Weyandt and Williams but had not received any reply until Weyandt recently responded.

According to court documents, preliminary hearings for both Weyandt and Williams are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 1, at District Judge Jacqueline J. Mizerock’s office.

Certified summons were issued on January 15.

McAndrew said she believes this case will be a true test in Jefferson County of the new animal laws that state approved in 2017.

“If the law is followed and an appropriate sentence is handed down, it could send a very good precedence,” McAndrew said. “I didn’t think we’d have a case happen so quickly, but unfortunately we do, and hopefully, a message will be sent.”

In June of 2017, Governor Tom Wolf signed an animal cruelty prevention bill, also known as Libre’s Law.

The new laws create a clear delineation among summary offenses, misdemeanors, and felony charges, and for the first time, allow felony charges in cases other than animal fighting and killing an endangered species, according to Humane PA, a political action committee devoted to animal-welfare issues.

The overhaul bill also includes:

– mandatory forfeiture of the abused animal to an animal shelter if the abuser is convicted;
– stipulations to dog tethering;
– increased protection for horses; and
– civil immunity for veterinarians, veterinarian technicians, and humane society police officers to prevent frivolous lawsuits against these professionals when reporting animal cruelty in good faith.

RELATED:

Two Jefferson County Residents Charged with Felony Animal Cruelty Charges After Dog Found Dead

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