A year long police investigation of Carrie Lynn Carr, who ran the Fayette Co pound in WV for several years for the New River HS before retiring last month, has resulted in criminal charges. Among the allegations against Carr:
- Severely injured/ill animals, including a dog with her uterus falling out, were hidden in back room cages out of public view until they died instead of receiving veterinary care.
- Animals were crammed into tiny crates and cages and forced to live there for extended periods of time. Large animals were unable to turn around or even lie down in their enclosures.
- Food was tossed onto cage floors, filthy with feces and urine.
- Individual water bowls were not provided but rather a single bucket of water was available in the facility for animals to drink.
- A female coonhound was starved at the pound for 8 months. She developed open sores on her hips which were never treated.
- Carr submitted payroll records showing she worked 35 hours a week when in fact she never dragged herself in much before 3 pm and left promptly at the 5:30 pm closing time.
- When minimum wage workers at the pound (which Carr was not) were authorized to receive a 75 cent per hour raise in January 2015 in order to bring them up to the state mandated minimum, she gave herself the same raise.
How lazy and ridiculous were the people at this place? Here:
The criminal complaint continues to say a “heating crisis” at the animal shelter in the winter of 2014-2015, caused the New River Humane Society to urgently ask the public to donate blankets and portable heaters. The complaint alleges Carr and other employees of the shelter didn’t check the level of propane in their tank and failed to order additional propane to be delivered.
There was reportedly nothing wrong with the heating system- Carr and the other employees simply allowed the propane to run out.
I don’t… I can’t… I just –
Obviously this kind of neglect and abuse does not happen in a vacuum. There were enablers, notably the New River HS board, which included Carr’s mother and brother. But it’s all good and sparkly now:
Newly-elected members of the Board of Directors for the New River Humane Society have pledged to take a more ‘hands-on’ approach in overseeing the operations of the Fayette County Animal Control Center.
Gosh, so bold.
They point out that Carr was not working for the New River Humane Society and the Fayette County Animal Control Center when she was arrested.
Remember when President Carter got the American hostages released but Iran agreed to hold them until after Reagan was sworn in?
They say Carr’s actions were not instructed by the NRHS Board of Directors nor were the Board of Directors aware of these actions.
Not instructed? So the board actually didn’t type up a memo telling Carr that when mangled cats or dogs with their guts falling out get impounded, it was protocol to hide them in the dungeon until they eventually suffered to death. Got it.
As far as the board not being aware, that is not an excuse – it’s the problem.
Fayette Co commission president Matt Wender doesn’t want to be outdone on the enabling front, apparently:
Wender, too, became more involved in the shelter, stopping by unannounced over the last year. He said he never saw animals abused. Volunteers and employees had already cleaned cages or were in the process of cleaning them.
Often when he stopped by, volunteers were walking dogs, he said.
“I believe that those now left in charge of the shelter do a good job. Those on the board now are without blame.
Sounds so nice. Any of the dogs being walked have their guts dragging behind them? Just wondering.
Carr has been charged with a felony count of obtaining money under false pretenses, three counts of falsifying accounts and three misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals. She’s out on a $20,0000 bond.
(Thanks Clarice for the links.)