Newspaper Page Text
May 11, 2022
Page 3A
sssSSi
Reporter
Puppies removed from breeder’s ‘disgusting’ home
By Steve Reece
stevereece@gmail.com
A Joe Chambers Road
couple was charged with
animal cruelty on Tuesday,
May 10 after dogs were re
moved from their breeder
home that was described as
disgusting and filled with
feces and urine.
According to the incident
report, Monroe County
code enforcement officer
Jeff Wilson received a com
plaint from Carlos Santillan
of animal control on May
2 about an animal neglect
report at 17 Joe Chambers
Road. They were accompa
nied to the mobile home by
Robin Flory of the Georgia
Department of Agriculture
who was called because
a dog that had been sold
from the home was found
to have Giardia Disease,
which is a parasitic disease
caused by dogs ingesting
feces. Becky Gifford, Mon
roe County Animal Shelter
manager, met them there
and told them the home
was disgusting and smelled
of feces and urine.
Flory tried to convince
breeder Patsy Thomas
Simpson to voluntarily
surrender the dogs and told
her she was revoking her
license due to the condition
of the home. There were
many small dogs were run
ning around the kitchen
that was separated from the
living room by a gate. Some
dogs and several litters
of puppies were in caged
wire kennels. The floor was
covered with K-9 pee pads,
which were urine soaked
and covered with feces and
the odor was overwhelm
ing. Flory said she has had
the same conversation with
Simpson over several years
starting in 2019.
Daniel Simpson
The living room was filled
with trash and junk and the
floor was a bare, particle
type subfloor, which was
soaked with urine stains.
Gifford told Wilson the
carpet had just been re
moved recently and there
were two wire kennels with
a mother dog and new
born puppies in the room.
Simpson told them those
were her last three litters,
and then she would be
done with breeding dogs.
She refused to relinquish
the dogs, however, stating
that she followed state laws,
to which Flory disagreed.
Simpson said she is doing
everything she can to keep
the dogs healthy and ready
to sell. She added she has
the dogs regularly checked
by veterinarian Dr. Smith,
who is also the doctor for
Monroe County Animal
Control. Simpson said she
had most of the dogs ready
to go to new homes and
only wanted to keep five of
the many dogs for them
selves. Gifford said that
Simpson sells the dogs on
an average of $2,000.
Wilson spoke with
Simpsons husband, Daniel
E. Simpson, outside the
home and asked him how
he felt about his home
being so nasty and all the
ATTACK
Continued from Front
along the roadway near 496
West Main Street, a brown
and white pitbull ran from
the driveway and jumped
on her knocking her to the
road in the middle of Hwy.
41. She tried pushing the
dog off her but was unable
to. Ingram Goodson ran
down the road, grabbed
the dog and secured it on a
chain.
Mrs. Johnson and other
neighbors helped Mrs.
Evans up out of the road
and called 911. Her cloth
ing was dirty on the front
and back, and she had
scratch marks bleeding on
her arm and knee from try
ing to get the dog off. She
said that her lower back
and butt area was hurt
ing and agreed to having
EMS check her. Once the
Forsyth Fire Department
arrived, it was decided that
Mrs. Johnson would drive
her to the hospital.
Barnett was familiar
with the house where the
dog came from having
been at the location before
about the dog being loose
and trash in the yard. A
neighbor woke up the dogs
owner, Larry Smith, who
told the corporal he didn’t
know the dog was off his
chain. Barnett told him that
he needed to get the dog
into a harness so that she
was not able to just pull her
head out. It was also found
that the female dog had 7
puppies.
When Monroe County
animal control officer
LICENSE
Continued from Front
office in their hometown.
But about a year ago,
DDS commissioner
Spencer Moore asked Cole
about locating a facility in
the Hwy. 18 park. Moore
knew that Cole was on
the development author
ity, which owns the park.
Cole said Gov. Kemp is
working to address the
shortage of truck drivers
in Georgia. He said that
currently there’s a 2-month
wait for Georgians wanting
to get their CDL. Cole said
there’s only 10 state offices
that handle both driver’s
licenses and CDLs, and
Forsyth’s will be the 11th.
Cole said with the growth
of the port in Savannah,
the state needs more truck
drivers.
“There’s a huge need,”
said Cole.
The office will have
10-12 employees. Cole
said driver’s license offices
are big draws and attract
traffic, and this one may
trigger other growth and
development in the Hwy.
18 park. Cole said the state
expects the Forsyth office
to draw people from north
Macon, Jackson and Locust
Grove.
Development Authority
executive director Joyce
White said the state will
sign a 20-year lease for the
building and land. White
said the building will look
very nice with brick on all
sides and will have 30 park
ing spaces.
“It will be a signature
building for Monroe
County’ said White.
The authority will take
bids for construction and
it should be ready to open
sometime in 2023. Cole
said it will definitely help
Forsyth.
“People don’t realize what
a plum this is,” said Cole.
Monroe Countians have
not been able to get their
licenses in Forsyth since
the state patrol office on Pa
trol Road quit issuing them
over 10 years ago.
Patsy Simpson
dogs. Daniel answered,
“Don’t get me started on
that.” He told Wilson that
they were moving and did
not see a reason to remodel
the house according to the
Department of Agriculture
guidelines. He then showed
the deputy pictures of new
kennels and said they had
several kennels already
built on the property.
Wilson then went back
inside and spoke with
Flory and Simpson about
options and Simpson told
him she is doing her best
to take care of the dogs,
even though the condi
tions are inhumane. She
reiterated that they will be
moving soon, but Flory
said, “You’ve told me that
for two years.”
Wilson, along with Flory
and Gifford, then went
outside and called Jessica
Rock, assistant district
attorney, and Rock said
that the dogs needed to be
removed and that Wilson
should take out a search
warrant to have the dogs
taken for animal cruelty
in violation of unsanitary
conditions and improper
ventilation. Wilson was
informed later of two more
cases of Giardia disease
contacted by animals
owned by Simpson.
Carlos Santillan arrived, he
checked the puppies and
found that one had a chunk
of skin missing (about the
size of a quarter) and the
dogs didn’t appear to be in
good health. He decided
animal control would take
the dogs and get them
seen by a vet. Once they
are healthy, they could be
returned to Smith. He was
cited for an animal at large
and given a court date.
Annie Evans’ husband
Larry Evans told the Re
porter that his wife has a
few scratches and bruises,
but is on the mend.
Two days later, a search
warrant was secured for
animal cruelty and execut
ed by Wilson, Brown, and
Monroe Coimty Animal
Control at Simpson’s home.
She became angry and up
set when she was told the
dogs would be kept at the
shelter until the court date
even though she was told
they would be provided
with care and veterinary at
tention. Simpson told them
that Dr. Smith was out
on the day before check
ing on the many dogs and
deworming them. She said
she feeds them high quality
dog food and they receive
constant vet care.
When she was told of the
cost to upkeep the dogs till
court, Simpson said she
could not afford to pay the
fee, and then voluntarily
surrendered the dogs to
animal control. Wilson,
along with Brown, Gif
ford, and Lisa Holthaus, of
animal control, cataloged
each dog as they removed
them from the home. The
Simpsons were booked into
the Monroe County Jail on
animal cruelty charges on
Tuesday, May 10. Bond had
not been set at press time.
If re-elected, Eva would be the only remaining
member who knows how our system rose from
#30 to #9 in the state and #1 in Middle GA.
It is crucial to retain someone who participated
in our rise to this level of success.
Please support Eva Bilderback for
Monroe County Board of Education District 7.
VOTE ON MAY 24TH!
Diane Soule
School Board District 1
• Parents should be able to parent, and
schools should be able to teach.
• Parents should make choices for their children
on issues like masks.
• Extracurricular activities should have access
to fundraising
• Critical Race Theory has no place in elementary,
middle or high school. It belongs at the college level.
Vote May 24th
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Vote for me on May 24th!
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With Great Leadership!
Ready to serve and make a
difference for the most
precious resource we have in
life, our children and youth
• Has lived in Monroe County
since 1994
• Has 2 children who graduated
from Mary Persons
• Has 4 grandchildren in Monroe
County, 2 in T.G. Scott
• Is an ordained United
Methodist Church minister
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state level agencies and Bibb/
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