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> FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS - Sunday, Jun* 7,ISM
Animal control rescues dogs from ‘deplorable’ home
By Michael Kurtz
Staff Writer
Thirteen dogs are doing well
after being rescued Thursday
afternoon from what county ani
mal control officers describe as
deplorable conditions in a home
on Holly Court.
Animal control officers re
moved the dogs from the home
after repeated attempts to contact
their owner, said Sheriff’s office
CAT CAP ER from 1A
woman who had spotted his cat.
Gaffney says he felt his efforts
were sufficient and says he was
upset by the investigator’s line of
questioning and further request for
Gaffney to write/sign a statement
about his reason for being in the
neighborhood.
Gaffney refused to write a
statement and says he later called
the sheriff’s office to complain.
Reaching Maj. Ernie Born,
Gaffney said the conversation
became heated and Bom eventual
ly warned him: “If I catch your ass
in my county. I’m going to have
you arrested.”
The Forsyth County News
advised Bom of Gaffney’s claim,
but Born said he could neither
confirm nor deny the allegation
because he was uncertain whether
the complaint against him is the
subject of an active investigation.
Bom says he has no problem
with Gaffney being in the county
but claims the man became “bal
listic and screamed and hollered”
at him during their conversation:
“I simply made my point and said,
‘Do not trespass in anyone else’s
yard,’ ” Bom said. “Anything else
he has said is totally untrue.”
Maj. Born said Gaffney “has
called everybody you can imagine
and has absolutely been ballistic.”
, But Gaffney says Born later
threatened him again in a less
direct manner during a second
conversation, and he brought a
cassette recording of what he
claims to be that conversation to
the Forsyth County News. Born
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spokesperson Karleen Chalker.
Six of the animals were in the
house, which is actually a convert
ed trailer home.
The house was full of feces,
knee-deep in some spots, accord
ing to reports at the scene. Two
other dogs were found in an
unventilated storage shed.
Animal control became aware
of the situation after neighbors
contacted the Sheriff’s office
did not deny having the conversa
tion.
During their discussion,
Gaffney is asking Bom if he will
sign a sworn statement saying he
did not use “abusive language”
with Gaffney in the previous con
versation. Bom says he is not talk
ing to Gaffney any further, saying:
“You’re not dealing in a rational
manner with any of this.”
Gaffney: “I’m going to Internal
Affairs with this.”
Bom: “That’s fine - you help
yourself. It’s a two-way street,
Mister. Be careful where you’re
going.”
Gaffney: “What was that now
again.”
Born: “I said it’s a two-way
street; be careful where you’re
going.”
Gaffney: “What do you mean
by that?”
Bom: “I mean be careful where
you’re going.”
Gaffney: “What do you mean
by that?”
Bom: “You take it for what it’s
worth.”
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because of the smell permeating 1
from the residence.
Chalker said officers left sever- 1
al warnings and notes at the resi- I
dence to have the owners contact I
the department about the condi- i
tions.
When the messages went unan- <
swered, deputies obtained a search 1
warrant to get the dogs out. I
“It’s really a humanitarian i
effort,” said animal control officer
Born says he believed at the
time that Gaffney was alluding to
filing a civil suit against him and
was “trying to set me (him) up.”
That’s why, Born says, he
made those statements: “I wanted
to let him know that works both
ways - that if he made that allega
tion, I have that right also.
“I’ve been in law enforcement
since 1968,” Born said, “and I
have never had an internal affairs
investigation filed about me until
this man made this allegation. To
make these allegations and to
attack my character after 30 years
in law enforcement, I am very
upset about it, and I take it very
seriously.”
Gaffney claims Bom was not
the only Forsyth County official
who threatened him. Gaffney says
he had called Internal Affairs and
left a message for Sgt. Leevan
Kirk, which was returned instead
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Despite the conditions of the
home, the dogs were in good
health. Several were suffering
from flea infestations, but none
were malnourished or injured.
Chalker said it appears some
one has been leaving the animals
food and water for several months,
but law enforcement has been
unable to contact the person.
Through the Forsyth County
by Col. Tommy Townsend.
According to Gaffney’s claim,
Townsend said: “If you push this
issue, I will go back to that woman
and have her swear out a warrant
for your arrest for trespassing.”
Townsend “emphatically
denies” that he threatened to arrest
Gaffney or to persuade a citizen to
take a warrant for him regarding
the search for the cat which initiat
ed the original complaint.
Instead, Townsend says
Gaffney may have misunderstood
when he explained to Gaffney that
in the future “he should not be
going into people’s backyards
without permission.
“I said, ‘lf these people want to
prosecute you for trespassing, ...
somebody could issue a warrant
for trespassing.”’
Townsend, however, says he is
aware that a trespassing charge
cannot be filed unless the alleged
Tax Office and discussions with
neighbors, officers determined the
dogs are owned by Francis
Hawkins.
Chalker said investigators have
been unable to find Hawkins. They
say he may now be in a nursing
home, she said.
The case is still under investi
gation, but Chalker said investiga
tors are only interested in protect
ing the dogs.
violator has refused to leave after
having been told to do so. He says
he knows the law and would not
have told Gaffney otherwise.
Townsend said an investigator
was sent to Gaffney’s home in
Fulton County because a female
resident in the Bethany Springs
subdivision had filed a suspicious
person complaint, saying the
unknown man was in her, not her
neighbor’s, backyard and had
frightened her by his presence.
“I feel total sympathy for any
body who loves animals so much,
and I offered to help,” Townsend
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“There will probably be no
charges filed. At this point, they're
just trying to find out where
(Hawkins) is and whose been
feeding the dogs,” Chalker said.
There have been several cases
of animal abandonment in Forsyth
County during the past two years,
but Thursday’s incident was the
largest rescue effort in the coun
ty’s history.
said, saying he had officers in the
area look for the missing cat.
Late Friday, Townsend said
there is no current Internal Affairs
investigation, saying that accord-,
ing to Sgt. Kirk, when Gaffney
filed the complaint, he became
ballistic and withdrew his com
plaint
. Gaffney says, “That’s not true;
I did not withdraw my complaint.”
He says he will return to file
another complaint if that’s what he
must do to proceed.
See CAT CAPER, 4A