AR-News: (NC - US) Woman: 90 days in jail for starving animals

[Snugglezzz at aol.com]

Meekins pleads guilty in animal cruelty case

By Venita Jenkins
Staff writer


LUMBERTON - A Rowland woman pleaded guilty Friday to starving animals in her 
care and failing to properly bury more than 100 dogs. 

The woman, Mary Meekins, 44, of the 2700 block of Tom M. Road, was sentenced 
to 90 days in jail, beginning June 1. All of the charges are misdemeanors. 

She made the plea in Robeson County District Court. 

Meekins, authorities say, starved 23 dogs, a horse, a snake, a monkey and a 
cockatiel and failed to bury more than 100 dogs within 24 hours of their 
deaths. 

Meekins was charged April 27 after lawmen and animal rescue volunteers found 
malnourished dogs at her home. 

Meekins' home was searched after lawmen got a tip about possible animal 
cruelty. The remains were found in the back yard and in a canal behind the home. 

Meekins once operated Big M Kennels from her home on Tom M. Road about eight 
miles north of Rowland. She was once considered a "big-time breeder,'' said 
Katherine Floyd, an animal cruelty investigator for Robeson County. 

Floyd testified that she had visited Meekins' home in 2000 and found an 
immaculate facility and a full-time staff. 

Tape played in court


A videotape played in court Friday showed one dog with severe chemical burns 
and numerous dogs that were underweight. Muscles and bones were exposed on the 
chest and upper hind leg of a bull mastiff. 

Some in the courtroom turned their heads when the video showed a decaying 
dog. 

Assistant District Attorney John Coleman asked the court to give Meekins the 
maximum sentence. He asked that Meekins not to be allowed to possess or breed 
animals and to turn over any animals she has in her custody. 

"She should not be allowed to own animals again," he said. "Not even a 
goldfish."

Judge Gary Bell said if he orders Meekins to serve two 45-day consecutive 
sentences, she will not be able to pay restitution toward a $7,000 medical bill 
for the sick animals. 

Floyd asked the court to sentence Meekins to jail and said she would be 
willing to raise the money to pay for the medical bills. 

"Please, I beg on behalf of these animals," she said. 

Chad Hammonds, Meekins' lawyer, said his client regrets the abuse and is 
willing to pay the medical bills. 

Meekins' medical condition - she has been diagnosed as bipolar and with 
diabetes - and the added stress does not allow her to care for the animals, 
Hammonds said. 

"It started this roller coaster ride to what we have now," Hammonds said. 

Hammonds asked that Meekins be placed on probation and be allowed to pay 
restitution.

Coleman argued that once the animals became unprofitable for Meekins, she no 
longer cared for them.

"The most we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt against her is that she 
allowed these animals, which were hers, to starve to death," he said. "... Big M 
Kennels couldn't stand for anything except for mistreatment, malnutrition and 
ultimately murder for over 100 of them."

No request for help


Coleman said Meekins never asked for help with the animals. Michelle 
Fitzgerald, a member of the Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League, was among the 
people who rescued some of the animals. She said a 90-day sentence wasn't enough.

"I'm very disappointed. Any sentence I guess is better than no sentence. But 
the punishment did not fit the crime. She deserved to be punished for what she 
did to every single animal out there, and she wasn't," Fitzgerald said. "…
They have no voice. We are the only voice they have, and it was a weak one 
today."

Willow, a Great Dane in Fitzgerald's care, needed several blood transfusions 
after she was rescued. She is anemic and has hookworms, Fitzgerald said. 

"It will take years for her to recover, so 90 days isn't enough," she said. 

Floyd said Meekins' case is the first animal abuse case in Robeson County in 
which an individual was sentenced to active jail time.

"This is a victory for the animals in this community," she said. 
"Unfortunately, our laws are not stiff enough. I really hope someday something like this 
will be a felony instead of misdemeanor."

Bobbie Simmons, a member of the Greensboro Humane Society, agreed. 

"There is so much more to be done, " she said. "We need laws to treat cases 
such as these as a felony."

Staff writer Venita Jenkins can be reached at jenkinsv at fayettevillenc.com or 
(910) 738-9158. 


    
    

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.envirolink.org/pipermail/ar-news/attachments/20040516/893b1dc4/attachment.html