Two guilty of dog abuse

By Nate Delesline III

Published: May 15, 2008

A Culpeper man and woman each must pay $1,625 in fines after county authorities removed 13 dogs from substandard conditions last month.

James M. Jackson, 25 and Amanda B. Melendez, 30, were arrested March 20 and charged with 84 misdemeanor animal cruelty, care and licensing offenses after animal control officers found more than a dozen dogs and other animals in their vacant rental home in the 100 block of Duke Street March 14.

General District Court Judge Roger Morton on Wednesday found Jackson and Melendez guilty of 13 charges each of failure to provide adequate, properly cleaned shelter, rabies vaccination violations and dog-license violations. Morton dismissed the more serious animal-cruelty charges, which carried a possible sentence of one year in jail, a fine of $2,500 or both.

Melendez testified that the home was vacant because they were moving and did not have anyplace else to keep the dogs. She also testified that she attended to the animals daily and was just at the residence the 24 hours before.

Morton, however, questioned the logic of leaving the animals to repeatedly soil the house. He also cited pictures entered into evidence by the commonwealth that depict the filthy conditions.

“It’s not plausible to me that this all occurred in a 24-hour period,” Morton said.

The home’s owner, Thu-Nhult Dinh, testified that she went to check on her property and noticed several pit bulls inside the home when she looked in the window. Dinh also testified that she noticed a fecal odor coming from the home and called Animal Control.

Culpeper County Animal Control Officer Kim Seibert testified that when she arrived the morning of March 14, Dinh gave her permission to enter the home and remove the dogs.

“There were feces throughout the area and the dogs were licking the condensation off the windows,” Siebert told the court.

Seibert said they removed seven adult pit bulls, six puppies, an iguana and a parakeet. One of the puppies died several days later.

Morton overruled a defense argument questioning Dinh’s authority as landlord. He said that, as the property owner, Dinh had the authority to enter the home or direct someone else to enter in order to inspect or maintain the property.

Jackson, who did not testify, insisted the dogs were treated well.

“The dogs stayed taken care of — they were like my kids,” he said.

Seibert said the some of the dogs had mange when they were removed but they have since recovered. She added all of the animals are now doing well.

Nate Delesline III can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 110 or .