I, for one, am absolutely astounded at the commissioners decision to allow the current county animal control officer to keep his job.
After reading 16 documented testimonies of animal abuse by this man, it is unthinkable that he would be allowed to continue working around animals. They promised to investigate these allegations, yet I know that at least 11 of these people were not contacted by the commissioners.
What that tells me is that they believed these things are true (how can that many people confirm animal abuse, people who don't know each other, and it not be true?), yet decided to keep him in spite of these actions.
There were many other people who had witnessed these same kinds of behaviors who were afraid to come forward. But I guess it didn't matter how many testimonies there were. He would be allowed to keep his job. The signed eyewitness allegations include kicking a group of puppies until one of them died, choking a dog until he was unconscious, slamming dogs' heads into the concrete and on and on.
We don't want to hear the horrid details. We want to ignore them and hope they'll go away. The packet the commissioners received included 16 eyewitnesses describing over 20 acts of animal abuse. These actions are all violations of Indiana's Animal Cruelty Code. One conviction is a misdeanor. A second conviction is a Class D felony.
What message is the commissioners' decision giving to the public? We might as well post billboards around the county saying, "Animal Cruelty is OK in Koskiusko County". How many people in this county want this reputation? How many taxpayers want to employ someone who sets this type of example?
My response to Mr. Truex, Mr. Conley and Mr. Jackson: Shame on you for showing such disrespect for the laws in Indiana and for condoning cruelty to animals.
