Meanwhile, at Michael Vick’s old place …
Animal cruelty charges against the head of a dog rescue group operating out of Michael Vick’s former home have been set aside after a key witness failed to appear in court.
Tamira Thayne’s trial in Surry General District Court in Virginia was to have begun Tuesday.
Prosecutors said the misdemeanor charges against the founder and founder and director of Dogs Deserve Better, could be reinstated later, according to the Virginian-Pilot.
Thayne was charged with animal cruelty and inadequate care of animals in August 2012, after an animal control officer and state veterinarian inspected her Good Newz Rehab Center in response to a complaint.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Gerald Poindexter told the court he decided not to prosecute the case because a key witness, a former employee of Dogs Deserve Better who lives in South Carolina, did not show up for the trial.
Thayne, if convicted, faced up to one year in jail and $2,500 in fines.
Chief Animal Control Officer Tracy Terry said charges against Thayne would be refiled “in the very near future.”
Thayne said she was confident that she would have been acquitted.
“I’m an innocent woman and have always been an innocent woman,” she said. “Right now, I’m free, but there’s still this little bit of weight on my shoulders…. It’s not totally gone.”
Thayne opened the Good Newz Rehab Center in June 2011 at the rural estate on Moonlight Road where Vick once ran a dogfighting business.
Vick served 18 months in federal prison after pleading guilty in 2007 to charges related to a dogfighting operation.
Posted by jwoestendiek March 6th, 2013 under Muttsblog.
Tags: animal control, animal cruelty, animals, care, charges, complaint, court, dogfighting, dogs, dogs deserve better, estate, former, good newz, group, home, michael vick, moonlight road, organization, pets, pit bulls, pitbulls, rescue, surry county, tamira thayne, trial, virginia, witness
Comments
Comment from vida
Time March 7, 2013 at 5:45 pm
This is the same county that couldn’t be arsed to check out Michael Vicks dog torture? Yes, I believe so. I think DDB is a good org, hope they stop harassing them.
Comment from Ariel W.
Time March 7, 2013 at 12:00 am
Tami is a stand-up woman. She doesn’t just talk the talk, she walks the walk. This is the second time the former employee has accused her of wrongdoing and then didn’t show up at trial. These accusations are just designed to discredit Tami and waste her time and resources. DDB is a fine organization, and Thayne’s vision for Good Newz is ambitious. It’s no secret that the county doesn’t want the rescue there and has been fighting her the whole way. I don’t think it was a coincidence that the search was conducted when Thayne was out of the country.