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UPDATE

Millsboro man facing charges for animal neglect

Officers find four dogs dead, 14 others emaciated
November 29, 2016

Story Location:
Deep Branch Road
Georgetown, DE
United States

A 61-year-old Millsboro man is facing 171 charges after state animal-control officers found four dead dogs and seized more than a dozen emaciated dogs from his property Nov. 23.

The state Office of Animal Welfare Delaware Animal Services began its investigation after receiving a tip that dogs were being neglected and allowed to run loose in the woods along Deep Branch Road in Georgetown, north of Millsboro.

It took officers two days to capture the 14 living dogs, many weak from lack of food and water, and riddled with fleas, parasites and other wounds. Necropsies will be performed on the four dead dogs found on the property, court documents state.

“This is one of the worst neglect cases we have seen,” said DAS Supervisor Chief Mark Tobin. “It was obvious that the dogs had not received any care in a long while, and the conditions in which they were kept were appalling.”

Property owner Atwood Timmons II was arrested Nov. 25 on 171 charges of animal cruelty and neglect, including cruelly or unnecessarily killing or injuring an animal, failing to have the dogs vaccinated for rabies, and failing to provide adequate shelter and care for the dogs. He was released on $42,500 unsecured bail. Court records show Timmons pleaded not guilty to nearly all of the charges.

FUNDRAISER FOR DOGS

Local business owner Nicholas Lee is raising funds for the dogs' recovery through an online fundraiser.

Lee, who owns Nicholas Lee Guitars in Rehoboth Beach, will donate 14 custom-built guitars for the fundraiser, one for each surviving dog. Each $10 donation on Lee's Go Fund Me page will be entered in a drawing for one of the guitars.

The money will benefit the care and rehabilitation of the dogs, which are receiving treatment at Brandywine Valley SPCA. To donate, go to gofundme.com/savethedelawarepups.

Court documents show three dogs were found dead inside a shed, while the fourth was found lying on the ground about 15 yards from a house on the property. State officials said there was no evidence of food or water for the dogs anywhere on the property.

Officers found three live dogs in an overgrown wire enclosure that contained barrels to be used as shelter; no bedding, food or water was available in the pen. Another wire enclosure, overgrown with brush and filled with debris, held two emaciated dogs, while nine dogs were loose on the property. It took officers two days to capture all of the loose dogs, some of which were aggressive, court records show.

The dogs are described as mixed breeds, some with traces of Rottweiler and Labrador. One of the captured females may be pregnant, records show.

While no dogs – or humans – were found in the home, an incident report states the house was in complete disrepair: The walls were chewed from the dogs trying to eat the drywall, and the house was covered in dog hair and feces.

“The windows were covered with dog prints smeared with feces from the dogs trying to get out of the house,” the report states.

A spokesperson with the Office of Animal Welfare said records show only one complaint has been received about the property, which led to the late November raid.

Kevin Usilton, executive director at First State Animal Center and SPCA, which handled animal control before the state, said his agency’s records show former officers received complaints of dogs running at large in 2007, 2008 and 2009 at the Deep Branch Road property.

Many of the dogs suffer from parasites, injuries caused by trying to escape their confinement and other signs of neglect, including missing or worn-down teeth and diarrhea. The dogs were taken to an emergency veterinary hospital and later transferred to Brandywine Valley SPCA for additional treatment.

Adam Lamb, Brandywine Valley SPCA CEO, said many dogs will require extensive medical treatment, psychological rehabilitation and training to prepare them to be re-homed. Some of the dogs are unable to walk, Lamb said, and many require around-the-clock care and intensive treatment for heart worm.

“This case involved a tremendous amount of teamwork, and we want to thank the good Samaritans who first reported the case, and the Sussex County Constable Office for assisting in the initial hours of the incident,” Tobin said.

Anyone interested in donating to the dogs' care can call Brandywine at 302-516-1006.

To report suspected animal cruelty, call Delaware Animal Services' 24-hour hotline at 302-255-4646.

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