Free Republic

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - The violent assault on Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo’s home late last month was certainly not the first bungled raid by a government SWAT team, but the bad publicity it generated should make it the last time these trigger-happy squads target innocent civilians. Tracking a 32-pound package of marijuana that had been addressed to Calvo’s wife, Trinity Tomsic, Prince George’s sheriff’s deputies forcibly entered the mayor’s home on July 29 and killed his two dogs before handcuffing him and his mother-in-law. But like so many other SWAT team raids across the country, this one turned out...

Two high school seniors are getting a real-life lesson in the law. John Miller and Dane Rockstead go to Wayzata High School and both are charged with animal cruelty after investigators said they abused a goose and brought it to school. "The bird appeared to be in pretty significant distress," said Chief Mike Goldstein with the Plymouth Police Department. Police said the two seniors had the bird for two days before they brought it to school in a backpack. "They actually shot it with a paint ball gun, put a net around it and then I believe put it in...

RALEIGH - A hearing into the firing of a state trooper accused of mistreating his police dog opened today with a video of the officer kicking the dog as it was suspended from the railing of a loading dock. The 15-second video, taken by another trooper using his cell phone, shows Sgt. Charles L. Jones kicking the dog, Ricoh, five times. The dog was tied to the railing by its leash at the time, with its front paws in the air and its rear paws touching the ground. With each kick, the dog swung about two feet under the dock.

Animal Rights by: Deborah Lambert, April 24, 2008 It used to be so easy owning a pet. You were the boss, Fido was the dog. Today, if you get home late from work, he might sue you. Thanks to a new legal specialty called Animal Protection Litigation, there is a rapidly growing niche for those concerned with the rights of animal companions. Some say it’s growing because animals are no longer just “property,” but have true legal standing as “partial beneficiaries of estates, subjects of lawsuits and victims of abuse,” according to the Raleigh News and Observer. Proponents of the...

Islam’s Animal Gulag   By Jamie GlazovFrontPageMagazine.com | Tuesday, March 11, 2008 Frontpage Interview's guest today is Robert Spencer, a scholar of Islamic history, theology, and law and the director of Jihad Watch. He is the author of seven books, eight monographs, and hundreds of articles about jihad and Islamic terrorism, including the New York Times Bestsellers The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) and The Truth About Muhammad. His latest book is Religion of Peace? FP: Robert Spencer, welcome to Frontpage Interview. Spencer: Thank you, Jamie. Always a pleasure. FP: An Iranian man was recently sentenced...

Using absolutely poor judgment and acting un-professionally, PGA tour golfer Tripp Isenhour is about to pay the consequences for his selfish act from last December 12 when, at the Grand Cypress Golf course, he purposely killed a migratory bird. Showing no compassion for the habits of creatures, Isenhour, who was filming a segment for 'Shoot Like A Pro,' apparently got frustrated when the red shouldered hawk began making noises and forcing take after take. In a rage, Isenhour,

Police: Dog shows signs of rape It's a crime so disgusting that Sheriff Joe is offering a $2,000 reward to anyone who can help catch these sick criminals. Police say a year-old Russell Terrier was dropped off at a valley animal hospital where vets determined the dog had been raped. Witnesses have described to police who they saw going into and leaving the clinic around the time the dog was dropped off. Anyone with information about this case can call the Sheriff's Department. Note: Click on the MyFoxPhoenix.com link to watch the video news report of this story.

Now that Michael Vick is going to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge related to the dog fighting allegations against him, he is likely to be suspended from the National Football League, possibly for life. He and his co-defendants (who have already pleaded guilty) should rest assured, however, that a multitude of job opportunities await them that will make extensive use of their unique talents. As reported by the Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/24/AR2007082402081.html?hpid=topnews), In or about April 2007, PEACE, PHILLIPS, VICK, and two others “rolled” or “tested” additional “Bad Newz Kennels” dogs by putting the dogs through fighting sessions at 1915...

Atlanta Falcons Quarterback To Plead Guilty To Lesser Charges (CBS News) RICHMOND, Va. The National Football league has suspended Michael Vick indefinitely after he pleaded guilty to charges related to dogfighting on Friday. Vick filed his plea agreement in federal court Friday admitting to conspiracy in a dogfighting ring and helping kill pit bulls. He denied ever betting on the fights, only bankrolling them. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback is scheduled to formally enter his plea Monday in U.S. District Court. He signed the plea agreement Thursday. "Most of the Bad Newz Kennels operation and gambling monies were provided by Vick,"...

During an April raid of Vick's property in Virginia, authorities seized 66 dogs and equipment commonly used in dog fighting. The indictment handed down Tuesday against Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and three others describes in detail how they procured a property in Virginia for the purpose of staging dogfights, bought dogs and then fought them there, and in several other states, over a 6-year period. With at least three cooperating witnesses providing the details, federal authorities compiled a detailed case that traces the birth and rise of Bad Newz Kennels. But not a single line in the 18-page indictment will...

Editor's Note:Eric Sakach attended about a dozen dogfights as an undercover investigator for the Humane Society. Here, he gives AJC reporter Drew Jubera an insider's account. The precautions taken to avoid detection are pretty extraordinary. In one case [in Arkansas], we were told to arrive at a motel the day before. Most of the people there were there to attend the same fight. The day of the fight, later in the afternoon, we all received a call and were told to stand outside by our vehicles. A lone pickup truck with a couple of occupants made a slow pass by...

(04-16) 15:54 PDT Ocala, Fla. (AP) -- A man living in a home with a layer of animal feces between 2 and 3 inches deep and as many as 300 cats, both alive and dead, was arrested Friday, authorities said. Jonathan Terpstra, 61, was charged with 55 counts of animal cruelty, two counts of tampering with evidence and one count of resisting without violence, the Ocala Star-Banner reported. Authorities had to break some windows to ventilate the home. Oxygen levels inside the home were low and ammonia levels extremely high, said Lt. Ron Baroni, with Marion County Fire Rescue. Animal...

Afghan Hound abused, animal shelter director covers up for her friend and the friend walks away free

A jury found two animal-rights workers not guilty Friday of animal cruelty for euthanizing animals they took from shelters, but both were convicted of littering for dumping the carcasses in a trash bin. Adria Hinkle and Andrew Cook, two employees of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, were cleared of eight misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. Hinkle also was found not guilty of three felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses. Both received a 10-day suspended jail sentence and a year of supervised probation, meaning neither will serve jail time. Their van will be confiscated by...

"American Pie" actress turns herself in at NY court Fri Dec 15, 2006 2:40 PM ET By Jeanne King NEW YORK (Reuters) - Actress Natasha Lyonne, the star of "American Pie" accused of threatening to sexually molest a dog, turned herself in at a New York court on Friday. A bench warrant was issued for her arrest in January after Lyonne, who has also appeared in "Blade," and "Scary Movie 2," missed four court hearings. The 27-year-old faced a number of charges including criminal mischief, harassment and trespassing after accusations she threatened to sexually molest her former neighbor's dog and...

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (AP) -- A [St. Louis] Metro East man was ordered to spend two years in prison after admitting in court that he tore the head off a kitten in the wake of a fight with his live-in girlfriend. When it comes to animal abuse cases, "we don't get prison sentences all the time, so it's always good when we do," Stephanee Smith, a spokeswoman for the Madison County State's Attorney's Office, said Tuesday of the case against Jacob Thornton. Thornton, 21, of Bethalto[, Illinois], was to have had a preliminary hearing last Thursday on the felony animal torture...

An Iraqi insurgent group said it attacked U.S. forces near Baghdad by setting off explosives attached to a dog, according to a video posted on the Internet on Sunday. A distant shot in a video issued by the group appeared to show a dog sitting on the side of a road as a military vehicle approached, moments before a large explosion occurred. Iraq's Jihadi Factions, which has claimed responsibility for attacks on U.S. and Iraqi forces, said it carried out the attack in the Abu Ghraib area west of Baghdad, targeting U.S. forces, without giving a date.

EULESS - A Euless man has pleaded guilty to killing a dog earlier this year after placing it in a washing machine filled with hot water.Chad Edward Ellis, 32, turned the machine on Jan. 4 with the dog inside because he was angry, according to police reports. The year-old female black Labrador mix, which apparently was a stray, was euthanized a few days later after she was taken to an animal shelter. Antibiotics failed to stop the swelling from the burns.Police became aware of the injuries when a friend of Ellis took the dog to the animal shelter and told...

BENNINGTON — A man cited for animal cruelty after police discovered he had 29 dogs living with him on a school bus claims he is misunderstood and that he just wanted to find a place where he and his dogs could live in peace. Larry Rogers Mason, 52, said his long-term plan was to find a rural congregation in the heartland where Mason, an ordained minister, could serve. "I was hoping to find some niche in America that would support the idiosyncrasies of a person raising a lot of dogs," he said.

A 21-year-old man in Orlando, Fla., is accused of punching a mounted police horse in the face, according to Local 6 News. Police said Korey Carter, of 3773 Atrium Drive, was arrested over the weekend and charged with battery on a law enforcement officer. The report said Carter was observed punching the police horse in the face with Deputy Chief Eugenio Bernal sitting on top of it. Carter was booked into the Orange County Jail and released on bail.

My aunt who has been a champion dog breeder for 50 years just had the Washington Co. VA animal control (acting on an anonymous tip) swoop down on her like she's some kind of criminal. She went to court yesterday because all of her dogs were confiscated. They charged her with inhumane treatment and animal neglect. All that the judge said she was guilty of was not keeping her animals absolutely clean. She's 76 years old. They were well-fed,healthy and all of their vaccinations were up to date.I heard on the radio today that animal control was giving them all...

Little Antonio, a goldfish made almost famous by living over 111 days in water from the Los Angeles River, was found dead in his tank in the latimes.com newsroom at 1:58 a.m. Monday. He was believed to be about five months old. The cause of death was undetermined, according to a website editor who made the sad but perhaps inevitable discovery.

U.S. troops found two cheetah cubs _ one of them blinded _ being forced to fight each other for the amusement of jeering children in this dusty, forgotten village. The troops provided medical treatment to the blinded cub, fed them both and tried to persuade Mohamed to hand them over to wildlife officials. They contacted U.S.-based cheetah experts as well as Ethiopian authorities. U.S. military officials refused to discuss the animal rights turn their hearts and minds campaign took in Gode. But Befekadu Refera, an official of the Environmental Protection Agency in the capital, Addis Ababa, confirmed the U.S. military...

Nov. 23, 2005 — An Ohio woman will spend a night in the woods without water, food or entertainment as part of her punishment for abandoning 35 kittens. Painesville Municipal Court Judge Michael A. Cicconetti handed down the sentence on Nov. 17 to Michelle M. Murray, 25. On Sept. 19, park rangers found the kittens abandoned in two parks in Mentor, Ohio. Many of the kittens had upper respiratory infections and nine later died. They were traced back to Murray because they were wearing identification collars. "How would you like to be dumped off at a metro park late at...

PAINESVILLE, Ohio, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- A judge in Painesville, Ohio, has ordered a woman to spend a winter night in the woods for abandoning 40 kittens in two parks. Michelle Murray must spend the night with no food, light or shelter as part of the court-imposed sentence, the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports. Municipal Judge Michael Cicconetti said parks rangers will take the 26-year-old woman into the forest at dusk and pick her up at dawn on Thanksgiving Day. Rangers will monitor her to make sure she is safe and does not freeze, the report said. The weather forecast for the...

FORWARD TOWNSHIP, Pa.-Humane officers raided a home in Forward Township Thursday.Officers say they responded after neighbors complained of the stench coming from the residence on Mentor Road.When they arrived on the scene, they found an animal house-but with a twist.Officers found 74 animals--ranging from dogs, cats, ferrets to birds--living in deplorable conditions.But they also found something else.One of the people who lived in the residence was Jim Willis, author of inspirational animal books, such as "Pieces of My Heart--Writings Inspired By Animals And Nature," "The Animals' Savior," and "The Basset Chronicles."

JOURDANTON, Texas -- Some city officials in Jourdanton, Texas, are outraged that a public works supervisor ordered employees to drown six stray dogs at the city sewer plant, rather than having the animals properly euthanized. For punishment, the supervisor was ordered to attend classes with animal control officers. City councilman Darrell Richter said the workers took the dogs from the pound to the sewer plant and dropped their cages into the water. A child saw the drownings and told his mother, who complained. Richter told the San Antonio Express-News that he's disgusted by the incident and upset with the supervisor...

Tangipahoa sheriff alleges devil worship in child rape, animal sex case Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said Friday that members of a Ponchatoula church cult accused of sexually abusing children and animals told detectives they carried out the practices for years as part of a devil-worshipping ritual involving cat blood. "This is hard to talk about and harder to believe, but some of the suspects have told us their intention in all of this was devil worshipping," Edwards said. Investigators arrested four more people on Thursday who are allegedly implicated in the child and animal sex ring, one of them...

Snip... For the mainly Democratic audience - this was a crowd of Washington journalists and luminaries from Hollywood and Manhattan - it was an evening of cognitive dissonance. How to reconcile this charming image on stage with the Bush they love to bash? Snip... Mrs. Bush's performance, and her husband's reaction, wasn't a shock to the reporters who cover the White House. For years they have tried to convince their friends outside Washington that Mr. Bush is actually not a close-minded dolt, and Mrs. Bush is no Stepford Wife or Church Lady. Yes, they're Texans who go to church and...

We all know that PETA is quite possibly the most annoying and certainly the most arrogant of all the leftist groups currently attempting to alter our way of life. However, I doubt that outside of a few nosy people and former PETA employees anyone knows how they care for homeless pets in Hampton Roads, Virginia (their headquarters, right)...They kill them! That's right, this warm fuzzy bastion of animal rights kills every once beloved family pet who has the misfortune of being carried through PETA's doors. People take animals to PETA instead of local shelters because they believe that they will...

Dog to go under Georgia governor's knife Perdue will personally neuter pooch as part of fundraiser Updated: 12:22 p.m. ET March 8, 2005 ATLANTA - Georgia’s budget-slashing governor, Sonny Perdue, is preparing to unsheathe his knife once again, but this time it is a pooch and not a program that will feel the loss. Perdue, a licensed veterinarian, has agreed to personally neuter a 9-month-old Rottweiler-Labrador retriever mix at an Atlanta animal clinic Thursday, the Atlanta Human Society said Monday. The society invited the Republican governor to perform the 30-minute procedure to highlight responsible pet ownership. The dog, named Nelson,...

Donkey Case Back in Court Posted 1/31/2005 09:05 AM Hurston Gue is charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty for allegedly dragging the animal behind his four-wheeler. A Cabell County man accused of dragging his donkey to death was scheduled to be in court Monday. Hurston Gue is charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty. If convicted, he could face up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. The charges stem from an August incident where Gue is accused of dragging the animal nearly a half-mile behind his four-wheeler. The donkey was later put to sleep.

Christopher Pye was convicted last year of sexual assault-- KAMLOOPS, B.C. (CP) -- A man caught trying to have sex with a dog told police he did it because he had been wrongfully convicted of sexually abusing a child and wanted to do something bad if he was going to jail. Christopher Pye pleaded guilty last month to bestiality. He was also convicted in provincial court last year of sexual assault on a nine-year-old girl. Judge William Sundhu reserved his decision Tuesday on Pye's sentence on both matters until Feb. 28. Pye was arrested after two people reported seeing a...

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A pit bull enthusiast who sold videos of dogfights and dogs attacking a pig became the first person on Thursday to be convicted under a federal law banning depictions of cruelty to animals, prosecutors said. Robert Stevens, 64, of Pittsville, Virginia, was found guilty in a Pittsburgh court of selling three videos a jury decided violated the ban on depicting the intentional maiming, mutilation or torture of animals or any wounding or killing. Under the law, signed by President Bill Clinton in 1999, prosecutors must also prove such videos have no serious educational, historical or scientific value....

Man Accused Of Beating Neighbor's Dog With Shovel Neighbor Leaves Message On Owner's Machine Before Attack UPDATED: 9:02 AM EST January 12, 2005 BROCKTON, Mass. -- Police are investigating an alleged case of animal cruelty in East Bridgewater, Mass., where a man stands accused of beating his neighbor's dog with a shovel. The Massachusetts man accused of brutally beating his neighbor's dog faced a judge in Brockton District Court Tuesday. Police said the dog was hit several times while tied on a leash. The dog a 90-pound Newfoundland named Crash, is missing most of its teeth but is being treated...

Woman euthanizes adopted dog after the pet was assaulted using fireworks:: Jodi Schwab saw the abused dog curled up at the Phenix City animal shelter and knew she had to save her. Now she wishes she hadn't. Little Girl was adopted three years ago, and it took Schwab more than a year to socialize the dog. In the last two years, she had begun to wag her tail at people and let them pet her. Until Thursday, when Little Girl was put to sleep. Schwab found her Thursday in the barn, suffering after someone exploded fireworks in her rectum. Schwab...

ST. CROIX FALLS, Wis. — Shielded by hazardous materials suits against the toxic combination of feces, ammonia from urine and decaying flesh, crews removed about 450 cats Friday from a home along the St. Croix River. A gut-wrenching stench, something akin to raw sewage combined with rotting meat

46 cats taken from home BY MARGARET REIST / Lincoln Journal Star The cats covered the basement floor of the small brick home in south Lincoln like a giant long-haired rug. Upstairs, the smell wafted out the front door and into the tree-lined street, right into the nostrils of Animal Control manager Jim Weverka, who found himself in the middle of the largest cat rescue his office has ever seen. "When I first walked in the room, it looked like the floor was just fur," Weverka said. "Then we realized they were cats. Real cats." A total of 146 of...

<p>By Rebecca Dial, News Editor The trial for the Campbellsville man accused of starving his horses is set to begin tomorrow morning in Taylor District Court before Judge James Avritt Jr.</p> <p>John A. Humphress, 59, of 116 Kensington Way is charged with 47 counts of second-degree cruelty to animals and three counts of failing to dispose of a carcass within 48 hours.</p>

A 4-year-old was bit in the groin by a dog Thursday and his 28-year-old cousin is accused of letting the dog bite the child. Robert Sims, of 2263 Morris Road, has been charged with animal fighting, said Capt. Barry Faile of the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department. According to an incident report from the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were called to the emergency room of Springs Memorial Hospital about 4:45 p.m. because someone there had been bitten by a dog. A deputy found the 4-year-old boy, whose left testicle had been ripped open. Before he was taken to surgery, the...

<p>MIDDLEBORO — Joanne E. Brown stood on the Center Street railroad bridge Thursday afternoon and touched the white, wooden angel with the hand-painted words, "Snowball, not forgotten."</p> <p>"Isn't it beautiful?" Brown asked. "People have been so kind."</p> <p>On July 16, Brown learned from Middleboro Animal Control Officer William Wyatt that her white Persian cat, Snowball, which had been missing since July 1, was probably killed by being repeatedly thrown from the bridge during an animal-abuse incident under investigation by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.</p>

Appalling Plight' of Super-Fat Pigs The rearing of grossly overweight pigs in Taiwan for ritual slaughter has been condemned by animal welfare groups. It takes two years to get the pig ready for competition They said it was time to end the annual "Pigs of God" contests that revolved around the force-feeding of animals to see which could achieve the greatest mass. Pigs weighing in excess of 900 kilograms have been reported. The animals, which are incapable of even standing, are dragged in front of thousands of people before having their throats cut. The Environment and Animals Society of Taiwan...

PINE CASTLE, Fla. -- A 36-year-old man was arrested Wednesday after Orange County sheriff's deputies found 4 puppies and two adult dogs with their tails cut off and stored in his kitchen freezer, according to Local 6 News. Authorities said that Nelson Rodriguez had been renting a guest house for several months from a Pine Castle couple. Wednesday morning, the couple said that their six Akita-mixed dogs were missing. When they confronted Rodriquez about the dog's whereabouts, he allegedly told them to call the police. After a brief standoff with Orange County sheriff's deputies, Rodriguez exited his home, Local 6...

<p>It was supposed to be a souvenir home video of a family celebration, titled "Our Vacation," filmed by the Loversos of Bay Shore when relatives were in town from Italy.</p> <p>But some of the images captured as the family prepared a meal -- rabbits beaten, skinned alive, even attacked by a pet dog -- led to the arrest of Matteo Loverso, 49, and his son, Rosario, 23, officials from the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said.</p>

From: PETA Add Address Subject: Action Alert: Thai Elephants Need Our Letters Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 10:48:06 -0500 (CST) To: Reply-To: newsmanager@peta-online.org Attachments: 0 Printer Friendly Version -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to PETA Action Alerts e-News for the week of October 18, 2002... To find out how to take action, please click through the headline links. Thailand’s Treatment of Elephants Stirs International Outrage Thailand has a dirty secret that it doesn’t want tourists to discover—a recipe for turning baby elephants into tourist attractions. In Thailand, villages unite to torture baby elephants in order to “break” them. First villagers tie the elephants’...

Mutilated raccoon found near deer site Area residents say they don't deserve callous reputation By Owen S. Good, Rocky Mountain News July 11, 2002 BOULDER - A mutilated baby raccoon was found near the San Juan del Centro apartments Wednesday, the same location where a squirrel was found tortured to death last week and two fawns were chased and injured over the weekend. The grisly discovery - the animal had been stabbed several times and its legs were severed - amplified tensions in a case that has put one of Boulder's poorer housing divisions in the media's glare. Police officials...

Aiken S.C. - More than 40 dogs that were rescued Friday were destroyed over the weekend at the Aiken County Animal Control shelter. The good news is that a little more then 140 dogs and puppies passed their examinations with a good bill of health. The dogs and puppies were rescued Friday afternoon from a Union Hill Road residence in Salley. The owner, Kathleen Humes, was charged with keeping animals in unsanitary conditions. Her court date is scheduled for March 22. Starting Saturday, veterinarian Kim Smart conducted medical examinations of all the dogs and puppies. A little over 40 were...