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Writer's picturevoiceforus
Sep 53 min read

SAMANTHA LYN HEWARD and MELISSA DAWN HEWARD arrested – Animals found in inhumane living conditions

- Florida, USA -

 

The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office arrested 21-year-old SAMANTHA LYN HEWARD and her mother 42-year-old MELISSA DAWN HEWARD (both pictured).

 

In a press release, the sheriff's office said that on August 19, 2024, its Animal Control Unit removed several animals from a home on West Akazian Lane in Homosassa.

 

According to the sheriff’s office, “Animal Control has been aware of issues regarding loose dogs and allegations of neglect” at the aforementioned home, “with 38 calls for service.”

 

Officers have attempted to work with the mother to allow her time to get all the animals up to date on rabies vaccines and county licenses and provide medical care for some minor medical issues the dogs were experiencing.

 

Officers also repeatedly suggested she get rid of some of her dogs to make it easier to care for them.

 

In late February 2024, the mother was mandated to provide medical care for three dogs with skin issues and hair loss, and according to the sheriff’s office, she complied with that mandate.

 

Four months later, in June 2024, officers went back to the home for a follow-up visit. The officers reported that the conditions inside the residence had deteriorated slightly but did not warrant the removal of the animals. Once again, officers “encouraged” the mother to reduce the number of dogs in her care and she surrendered three puppies and five cats.

The woman did surrender the cats and the puppies and officers continued to monitor the well-being of the remaining animals and living conditions.

 

On several follow-up visits, however, officers did not find anybody home and therefore they couldn’t report back on the conditions of the Voiceless Victims.

 

On August 15, 2024, officers returned to the home following reports from neighbors who heard frequent dog fights. During that visit, the mother agreed to surrender two dogs, but admitted she had not complied with the mandate to get the remaining dogs the required rabies vaccinations.

The woman was advised to get veterinary care for the dogs who received minor injuries during the dog fights.

 

On August 19, 2024, when Animal Control Officers went back to the home, they were “permitted to access the residence for the first time since June 2024”, stated the release.

According to the sheriff's office, they “found that conditions inside the home were significantly worse than on any previous visit and immediately requested deputies to respond.”

 

Five cats and eleven dogs were removed after they were found to be living in “to inhumane and unhealthy living conditions.”  Several dogs and cats had minor medical issues and had not received proper care.

 

Deputies then learned that two minor children were also living in the home, so they alerted the Department of Children and Families (DCF) that responded to the scene and removed both juveniles.

 

Additionally, County Code Enforcement responded to the home being considered an unsafe structure.

 

On August 19, 2024, deputies arrested the mother and daughter and booked them into the Citrus County Jail.

The mother was charged with ten counts of animal cruelty associated with the eleven dogs living in the home.

The daughter, who “claimed ownership and care of the cats”, was charged with four counts of animal cruelty and one count of aggravated animal cruelty. 

 

All of the Voiceless Victims were surrendered to the county and are being medically evaluated and receiving the care they need and deserve.

 

Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast said: “𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙚𝙡𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙜𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩. 𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨, 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙢 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙙 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚.”

 

On August 22, 2024, an update by the sheriff’s office advised that the mother is also facing two counts of child neglect, two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and violation of felony probation.

 

Those of you who are familiar with my stand on these kinds of situations, know that if it was up to me, I would just apply the “nip it in the bud” policy. I believe that all of the innocent souls should have been removed right away! They were failed by so many……

 

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Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from the press release by the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office. Please note that details may be removed or new information added should updates become available.

In the case of charges being dropped, dismissed, or the case being purged, this article will be rectified accordingly, if official documentation is provided to Voice For Us.

 

 

Mugshots shared from the Citrus County Sheriff's Office




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Writer's picturevoiceforus
Sep 22 min read

DEVAN GALLEGOS arrested after dog found with chain collar cutting into his/her neck

- Texas, USA -

 

The El Paso Police Department arrested 27-year-old DEVAN GALLEGOS (pictured).

 

According to police, on July 16, 2024, the Animal Cruelty Investigations Unit responded to a residence on the 1200 block of Airway Boulevard regarding a dog who had a chain collar embedded in his/her neck.

 

Investigators learned that GALLEGOS kept the dog tethered with the chain collar which progressively cut into the furvictim’s neck.

 

After the chain collar was removed, the furvictim was taken to be treated and then released to the Humane Society of El Paso.

 

GALLEGOS was arrested on August 23, 2024, and booked into the El Paso County Jail.

He was charged with cruelty to non-livestock animals: kill/poison/serious bodily injury, a third-degree felony. GALLEGOS was released on August 26, 2024, after posting a $10,000 bond.

 

The use of chains or heavy weights to restrain dogs was outlawed by the Safe Outdoor Dogs Act in 2022.

 

If I hear back from the El Paso PD with information about the dog, I will post an update.

 

 # # #

 

Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from the press release by the El Paso Police Department. Please note that details may be removed or new information added should updates become available.

In the case of charges being dropped, dismissed, or the case being purged, this article will be rectified accordingly, if official documentation is provided to Voice For Us.

 

 

GALLEGOS’ mugshot shared from the El Paso Police Department




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Writer's picturevoiceforus
Aug 294 min read

PRESTON WOODALL sentenced to five days behind bars for abandoning a mama dog and her nine babies

- Nebraska, USA -

 

~ Update: August 29, 2024

 

I heard back from the Nebraska Humane Society and learned that the mama dog’s name was Poptart. The tribute image has been changed accordingly.

 

The puppies’ names are:

(These are their shelter names. They may have new names in their homes)


Cherry

Cinnamon

Kilo

Maple

Oreo

Pumpkin Pie

Snickerdoodle

Strawberry

Sugar Cookie

 

I also learned the following: “The puppies came in at roughly four weeks and were fostered until they were ready for adoption. All of them, including mom, found homes. So far, none of the puppies have been returned and all appear to be in happy, healthy homes. Sadly, mom was returned with some aggressive tendencies. We worked with her, as did her adopter, but ultimately it was determined that humane euthanasia was a better option than spending her life in a shelter.”

 

~ Original story:


The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office arrested 30-year-old PRESTON WOODALL (pictured), in connection with the vile abandonment of nine helpless puppies and their mom.

 

The incident dates back to February 14, 2024, when two residents, whom WOWT identified as Anastasia Alexander and Dona Smith, found the mama dog and her babies next to a dumpster of their apartment complex near 108th and Fort Street in Omaha. The kindhearted ladies then put the 4-week-old puppies in a box.

 

Ms. Alexander told WOWT: “They smelled terrible, reeked of urine, and some were covered in feces. Even the mama, you could tell, was starving, because her milk sack was flat.”

 

According to our Good Samaritans, a male wearing a ski mask, now identified as WOODALL, drove his car to the area, backed up the vehicle up to the dumpster, and abandoned the furfamily.

 

The Nebraska Humane Society took the mama dog and her babies.

The puppies were eventually adopted out, but their mom was sadly euthanized. While in a foster home, the mom reportedly displayed behavioral issues that made her unadoptable.

 

The Nebraska Humane Society was able to find a security camera photo of the scum to circulate among law enforcement agencies. An investigation then led to the identification of WOODALL and an arrest warrant was issued on eleven counts of animal cruelty and one count of dog unrestrained

 

Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputy Cindy Dmyterko told WOWT while showing security footage: “He has a mask on, so he does not want his identity shown. However, we have the vehicle and enough witness statements to say this was the gentleman who did this.”

 

WOODALL was taken into custody on August 26, 2024, on National Dog Day, and the circumstance that led to his arrest was very unusual.

 

On August 12, 2024, WOODALL had applied for a firearm purchase permit at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. A record check showed that WOODALL had two warrants for his arrest for the animal cruelty charges as well as not showing up to court for those charges

 

On August 26, 2024, WOODALL showed up at the sheriff’s office to pick his permit and found himself wearing a nice pair of handcuffs! He was then taken to Douglas County Corrections.

 

Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson explained to WOWT that “…this case shows that anyone who comes into the office and applies for a gun permit can expect the staff and deputies to run a background check to see if there are any outstanding warrants.”

 

On August 27, 2024, WOODALL appeared in court and pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty and was sentenced to FIVE DAYS behind bars.

According to WOWT, “As part of the plea agreement, nine counts of the same charge, plus one similar charge, were dropped.”

 

On a separate note, as reported by WOWT, “This is the second jail stint in less than a year for Woodall. In October 2023, he pleaded guilty to driving with a suspended license and spent five days behind bars for that incident, too. In that case, charges for refusing to sign a traffic citation and a lack of brake lights were dropped.”

 

As I have been regularly posting quotes on animal cruelty on Voice For Us’ social platforms, I came across this one, “To examine whether something is humane first determine whether you would want it done to you”, by Andrea Kladar. So, I took the liberty of naming the  mother dog Andrea for the tribute image.

Should her given name be made public, I will rectify it accordingly.

 

# # #

 

Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from the press release by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Please note that details may be removed or new information added should updates become available.

 

 

WOODALL’s mugshot shared from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office




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