- North Carolina, USA -
News-Topic reports that 36-year-old LISA MARIE HENDREN MEATYARD (pictured below),
has been charged with animal cruelty for the second time in less than a year.
LISA MARIE HENDREN MEATYARD a.k.a. LISA LEWIS, a.k.a. LISA HENDREM is accused of neglecting an iguana, a pig, two goats, and fifty-two dogs.
She denies the accusations.
According to court documents, the female, deprived a menagerie of animals of ”necessary sustenance” and medical attention, and of allowing them to live in “crowded and unsanitary conditions.”
As reported by News-Topic, MEATYARD was arrested on Thursday, January 14, after a former resident at a property on Sheriffs Road reported to Caldwell County Animal Control that the animals were not being adequately cared for, and that MEATYARD was breeding the poor animals to sell them.
Documents filed at the Caldwell County Courthouse state that when Animal Control questioned MEATYARD, she told officers that she signed the ownership of the animals over to someone else.
News-Topic reached out to MEATYARD and in an interview with the news outlet she said that she doesn’t live at the property on Sheriffs Road.
She also claimed that the animals are in the care of her brother.
MEATYARD then explained that although she does not officially live at the property, she does sleep on the property but does not have access to her brother’s house.
MEATYARD told News-Topic that Animal Control is targeting her “because my name has been everywhere. People see my name, and they want the donations. The amount of donations that they get is ridiculous. I’ve had issues since day one.”
MEATYARD was referring to previous charges.
Animal Control on the other hand, declined to discuss the case with News-Topic.
Court records show that when MEATYARD was charged in 2020, she was accused of failing to feed a 4-month-old Jersey cow named Oscar, a 6-month-old Holstein cow named Betty, a Pitbull named Chloe, a Husky named Mya, and a mixed-breed dog named Patch.
Back then she was charged with five misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals and after a trial before a judge in October, she was convicted on those charges.
MEATYARD then appealed the conviction.
She said the attorney who represented her at the time, mishandled the case.
Furthermore, she said the judge didn’t want to hear her version of the facts.
Now, MEATYARD does not understand why she has been charged again and said: “I don’t understand, especially this time, because I don’t live there. If they [animals] were tortured, why did they (Animal Control) leave them behind?” Not one animal out there was mistreated.”
Court records also show that MEATYARD was previously convicted twice of obtaining property by false pretenses, a felony.
News-Topic reports that: “The earliest charge appears to stem from an incident on Jan. 29, 2011, in which she falsely represented herself as the head of a nonprofit organization, Liz
and Lizards, in order to obtain nine dogs.”
A story by WSOC-TV from January 31, 2011, reveals that the organization that MEATYARD claimed to be a part of, supposedly cared for unwanted animals.
On a side note, on November 14, 2019, FOX 46 reported that MEATYARD was “accused of having sex with a 14-year old boy after investigators said the child’s mother found explicit photos and text messages on her son’s phone.”
A petition has been created addressed to Scott Reilly of Caldwell County North Carolina District Attorney's Office asking for MEATYARD to be prosecuted
According to the petition, the defendant has a court date on January 20, 2021, for Felony-Cruelty to Animals Allowing Animals to Live in Crowded/Unsanitary Conditions.
She is then expected back in court on January 25, 2021, for Felony-Breaking & or Entering.
On March 1, 2021, MEATYARD is scheduled to appear back in court for five counts of Misdemeanor-Cruelty to Animals.
Thank you voiceforus for doing this story. I am seeing more and more government agencies that are NOT doing their damn job in protecting the animals. Dealing with the Ga. Dept of Agric in my own home State, that are a bunch of lazy & inept Government employees that do NOTHING to shut down bad rescues that are licensed by the department. Hmmm, perhaps palms are getting greased?