Just after 9 this morning Bunnell police officers were dispatched to Lot 48 at the Royal Palms RV Park off U.S. 1, formerly known as Thunder Gulch. A woman a few lots down had called authorities to complain of an unbearable stench of decomposition coming from the nearby RV.
“They had concerns about animals and the person that resided in that RV, they hadn’t seen them for a week,” Bunnell Interim Police Chief Brannon Snead, who responded to the scene, said this afternoon. “There was a window open, you could smell decomposition, whether it was an animal or person. Made phone calls, couldn’t get contact, emergency contact wouldn’t answer. We then with the Palm Coast Fire Department made entry into the house at that time.”
Bunnell Police Sgt. Scott Bagwell said two cats, caged, were found dead. A dog was “still alive, but malnourished,” he said. The dog was not caged. Flagler County Animal Services’ Dawn Morton also responded and took custody of the dog, who is now at the Humane Society.
Based on that evidence, she was charged with two third-degree felony counts of animal cruelty resulting in pain and suffering, and a misdemeanor count of unlawful confinement or abandonment of an animal, regarding the dog. She was booked at the county jail in early afternoon. Her bond was to be set after a first appearance before a judge, which may not take place until early morning Thursday.
“That’s not right. That’s not something to be tolerated in the city limits,” Snead said of the cats and the dog. “That’s not something that you can put up with. There are programs out there if you can’t take care of animals or you don’t want the animal anymore that you can do besides allowing them to be deceased inside a residence–and they do consider RVs to be residences now–and it’s very disheartening.”
Snead said there appears to have been an ongoing problem there.
Some of Church’s family members were at the RV park this evening, before the RV was to be taken away. The property manager there was disheartened by the incident and spoke of recent efforts to lift the property’s profile since it changed ownership. (JNH Property’s Jerry Sauers sold the property last year to Paul Larson’s Larson Real Estate and Investment of Bunnell.)
Plunk says
WTAF!! I don’t care about her or her situation. Give them up if you don’t care or can’t afford them. I have two fur babies and I couldn’t imagine. I just couldn’t. I’d walk to the ends of the earth for them. This woman makes me ill. There is no punishment strong enough for this pathetic excuse of a blob breathing air.
Concerned Citizen says
I am apalled for those animals conditions. But the judicial system here baffles me.
We have child abusers and drug dealers who are often repeat offenders bonding out on often ridiculous bonds. We even have probationers and parolees bonding even on possesion of fire arm by felon charges. But in this case she isn’t getting a bond and (rightfully so I might add) until first appearance.
I just shake my head sometimes at the nonsense our Judicial system commits in this county. And am thankful I don’t have an active career in Law Enforcement anymore. It has to be extremely frustrating at times. What with all the inconsistancy.
Ellen says
Lets hope whatever Judge hears this case she is never allowed to own animals again. If she could do this to an animal she could do it to her elderly parents someday.
Thankful someone called the authorities, and go by that saying IF YOU SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING.
The dude says
Seems You can’t swing a dead cat around by its tail and not hit a depraved flagler county resident in these here parts…
Maybe it’s the water?
Celia M Pugliese says
Boot her to jail and throw away the keys or do to her what she did to those poor kittens and dog! Crate her for a week no food no water no toilette! Many oignorants think of pets as things and worse, disposable!