Animal cruelty case nears end

by Susan Gibbs Record Reporter
Published: July 3, 2008

A case brought against the Madison-Greene Humane Society alleging cruelty to animals and lack of adequate care to companion animals may soon be dismissed.
“I don’t think there is a serious problem any longer,” Karl Santone, Greene’s court-appointed humane investigator told Judge William G. Barkley in the County’s General District Court Wednesday, June 25.
According to Santone, the trouble started last Labor Day weekend when he discovered dead, sick and unattended animals at the Madison-Greene Humane Society’s Stanardsville facility.
“I found one dead cat, two bleeding from their noses” and (dozens more) that had not been cared for, Santone told Judge Barkley when he hauled the Humane Society into court last October 31. Santone also told Judge Barkley that in response, the Humane Society had locked him out of its facility and covered its window, preventing him from performing further investigations.
At that time, Judge Barkley told Santone, who has been the County’s humane investigator for 12 years, that his court had no jurisdiction over such matters.
However, the Humane Society agreed to unveil its window and allow Santone entry to its premises - as long as it was given a four-hour notice prior to any of Santone’s investigations.
The case was continued until June 25 of this year, when Santone told Judge Barkley, “I have gone back a number of times and I have found the facility to be in compliance.”
Santone asked him to dismiss the charge, adding, “I wanted to focus someone’s attention, and this has happened.”
The possibility of a continuance emerged when the Humane Society’s attorney, Thomas Province of Madison, asked for sanctions.
“(Santone) said he did this to get someone’s attention… My fee is $165 an hour. We’ve got about 13 hours on this,” Province told Judge Barkley.
The case was continued until July 23, when sanctions would be determined.
But the next day, Province sent Judge Barkley a letter informing him that the Humane Society wished to withdraw the oral motion for sanctions he had made. He requested that the case be removed from the Court’s docket and that he be sent an attested copy of the Court’s final order dismissing the case.
Record Editor April Taylor contributed to this article.