In January of last year, HSUS issued a press release announcing its “top ten emergency placement partners”. Number one on the list was the Guilford Co Animal Shelter in NC, run by the United Animal Coalition. The press release reads, in part:
Although every placement partner is deeply valued, these ten groups went above and beyond to help animals rescued from large-scale crisis situations. Throughout the year, they showed tireless enthusiasm and dedication to helping animals.
This wasn’t the first time HSUS offered special recognition for the Guilford Co pound. In February 2012, HSUS also named the facility on its top ten emergency placement partners list and issued a press release which reads, in part:
Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS, visited the Guilford County Animal Shelter Thursday to tour the facility and meet with staff members.
“Guilford County Animal Shelter has consistently gone above and beyond the call of duty to come to the aid of animals in need,” said Michelle Cascio, manager of the Emergency Placement Program for The HSUS.
There was a backlash among animal advocates as the United Animal Coalition was widely known for its secrecy and its reputation as an abusive killing hole. Apparently Wayne Pacelle didn’t notice anything amiss during his tour or if he did, didn’t contact authorities about it.
This week, a grand jury indicted Marsha Williams, the director of the United Animal Coalition along with two employees, one of whom is the director’s daughter. The charges stem from alleged illegal activities at both the Guilford Co pound and the Davidson Co pound, which was also run by United Animal Coalition. A grand jury found that all three women “unlawfully, willfully and feloniously did cause to be maliciously tortured an animal, an injured dog named Nana[.]”
In addition to the animal cruelty charge, Williams was indicted on several other offenses:
The indictment also alleges Williams possessed more than 100 tablets of Tramadol and kept tablets at the Davidson County Animal Shelter. The indictment further alleges Williams hindered a federal drug investigation by ordering workers to remove controlled substances from the shelter and creating false invoices showing the transfer of controlled substances from one shelter to the other.
The horrifying and long-standing allegations of widespread animal suffering, needless killing and rampant fraud perpetrated by United Animal Coalition have finally been moved into the judicial sphere. It’s a shame Wayne Pacelle and HSUS spent so much time praising the work of these alleged animal torturers instead of blowing the whistle on them years ago. It’s staggering to think of how many animals could have been saved, including Nana.
(Thanks Lisa for posting this link in the Open Thread.)
So what IS the criteria for becoming one of the Top Ten Emergency Placement Partners?
Because right now, it seems that as long as you take the animals that HSUS with all their millions of dollars wants to dump on you, ask no questions (and, apparently don’t get asked questions), it’s all good with them.
Vetting? Nah. No need to actually do any sort of background investigation on people you’re going to publicly endorse, right?
Once again HSUS contributes to the suffering of animals. Good job, jerk faces.
I was just about to post to this effect.
Heck of a job, Wayne.
“No need to actually do any sort of background investigation on people you’re going to publicly endorse, right?”
HSUS endorses Michael Vick – and they DO KNOW how he tortured dogs. Although Pacelle didn’t actually tour Vick’s torture chamber like he did with UAC.
Ah. Sadly, true. Wayne is something special.
I am shocked shocked I tell you… (LOL) Pacelle and his minions at it again it is business was usual at HSUS
Good old Wayne doesn’t even like animals. He really ought to find another line of work, like, maybe cleaning septic tanks. (No insult intended for those who do this work) He just shouldn’t work around any living being . . . or beings who started out alive. Yet H$U$ continues to pull in the big money.
Groups like PETA, HSUS and SPCA aren’t who the public thinks.
No surprise. The inhumane society’s ‘leader’ is Michael Vick’s BFF. As for the Ho, & other degenerates in N.C., throw the book at ’em (one 1500 times the size/weight of ‘War And Peace”)
Nothing surprising here. Before animals reach “Emergency Placement Partners,” they are, of course, “rescued” by the various HSUS emergency teams. This past June, Tia Pope, manager of HSUS’s Puppy Mill Response unit, was arrested for embezzling over $30,000 from her employer. According to the Washington Times, Pope spent a chunk of it on lengthy car rentals and a trip to Aruba. The theft went on for two years with no one providing oversight. HSUS had to fire her when a new manager actually did her job reviewing expense accounts.
Before Pope, the notorious Scotlund Haisley ran HSUS’s Emergency Response Team with Pacelle’s blessing and ongoing support, even as the lawsuits piled up and the qualified team members resigned, one by one.
what I want to know is – Who IS this ‘Marsha Williams’ and what are her credentials to even be in that position? also, ‘groups’ who take over operation of shelters in lieu of direct supervision by County/City employees are paid big bucks – who/what is behind the United Animal Coalition ( other than the name on the tax report from 2013 ) – the Sheriff is now backpeddling, saying he was never on ‘the ‘Board’ of that organization. And how did it go ‘south’ so fast — going back several years on the NCDA Inspection Reports, there does not appear to be any warning bells or signals. Something is very wrong, but there are lots and lots of unanswered questions still on the table.