Four charged after 38 dogs, 7 ferrets found inside Bethel home filled with feces, urine
Four people have been charged in Clermont County after dozens of dogs and several ferrets were found living in "squalid" conditions in a house earlier in May.
The Clermont County Dog Warden announced that four Bethel residents – Terri Sprague, Christopher Davis, Vicki Miller and Anthony Miller – are facing animal cruelty charges after 38 dogs and seven ferrets were seized and impounded from Sprague's Campbell Lane home on May 5.
The warden launched an investigation on May 2 after Deputy Dog Warden Sarah Steele came into possession of a dog whose fur was stained with urine and heavily matted, according to a criminal complaint. The dog had been picked up as a stray by a local resident, who then posted about it on social media in an attempt to locate its owner.
Davis, who is Sprague's son, responded to the post, identifying himself as the owner. Steele contacted Davis over the phone and coordinated a time for her to take the dog to his mother's house, where he also lived.
Steele went to the house and met with Sprague, who court documents say had "feces on her clothing and reeked ofurine." She also told Steele that she had 11 other dogs inside the house.
More: 'Beyond disturbing': 11 more people indicted in 'animal crush videos' case
Chief Dog Warden Tim Pappas wrote in the complaint that officials were able to obtain a search warrant, which they served on May 5, based on Steele's observations and interaction with Sprague.
While executing the search warrant, 34 dogs − mostly Chinese Crested but including a mix of breeds and ages − were found confined to a single room. Seven ferrets were found in a cage. Steele described the conditions as "the worst I've ever seen."
More: Thousands of Ohioans are attacked by dogs each year. How to avoid bites, protect yourself
'The smell of feces and urine was overpowering," Steele said in the release. "The floor was covered inches deep in feces and the dogs were matted in feces and urine. None of the animals had fresh food or water. Their bowls were even filled with feces.'
Additionally, according to the complaint, the ammonia level due to the urine was eye-watering and made it difficult to breathe. Garbage, rotting food with bugs and clothing stacked close to the ceiling were also seen in most areas of the house.
Sprague, Vicki Miller and Anthony Miller were all present while the search warrant was being served. Four additional dogs were found in another room that was occupied by both Millers, who are married, according to the release.
The Clermont County Animal Shelter took possession of the animals after they were recovered by the wardens. The defendants lost possession of the animals when they failed to post bond to cover the cost of their care at the shelter. The court set that bond at $29,250 per month.
All but one dog has since been adopted or placed in foster care, the release said.
Sprague and Vicki Miller were arraigned on May 28, the release said. Sprague is facing 41 counts of cruelty to a companion animal, a first-degree misdemeanor, with her trial date set for June 26. Vicki Miller is facing four counts of cruelty to a companion animal and 34 counts of complicity, and her trial date is set for June 12
Davis and Anthony Miller are slated to be arraigned in Clermont County Municipal Court on June 4, with Davis facing one count of cruelty to a companion animal and 34 counts of complicity. Miller faces four counts of cruelty to a companion animal and 34 counts of complicity.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 4 charged after 38 dogs, 7 ferrets found inside Clermont County home
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Chicago Tribune
Cook County tax board commissioner, staff face multiple fines from ethics board
Cook County's ethics board fined Board of Review Commissioner Samantha Steele and aides for a series of breaches this week, finding that she provided confidential information to the press about the Chicago Bears' Arlington Heights property and wrongly allowed a staffer to attend a conference on county time. A top Steele aide was separately fined for attending Cubs games and traveling for personal trips on county time. Reached Friday, Steele said she 'absolutely disagreed' with the findings but declined to comment further. Steele is one of three commissioners on the county's Board of Review, which hears property tax appeals. She is currently running in the Democratic primary for county assessor. The county's board of ethics released three findings related to Steele's office this week. The highest-profile found that Steele had improperly shared appraisal information about the Chicago Bears' Arlington Heights property with the media three different times. She did so first in the middle of settlement negotiations in mid-2023, and then again later that year during an appeal. Steele had been warned by the county's general counsel afterwards that the board was prohibited from commenting on pending, confidential board matters, noting the property tax code required board members to 'remain fair and impartial and free from bias or influence,' and that confidence in the board would be eroded if the board's decision-making was perceived to be 'subject to inappropriate outside influences.' But Steele again commented for February 2024 stories about an appeal, triggering an email from the Bears' lawyer, who asked why the press was notified before the team. The board of ethics found Steele's comments to Crain's Chicago Business, NBC Chicago and the Tribune amounted to three violations of confidentiality code in the county's ethics ordinance and fined her $3,000, which she must pay in 30 days. Steele was arrested in 2024 for driving under the influence of alcohol after a car crash, but has been fighting the charge and is due back in court later this summer. She won back her right to drive after her attorney argued she wasn't given proper warning of the consequences of refusing a breathalyzer test. She was fined another $1,000 by the ethics board this week and her top aide, Dan Balanoff, $750 for permitting an employee to attend an unauthorized conference unrelated to his county duties on county time. That employee, Ryan McIntyre, was fined the equivalent of 16 hours of county pay after he improperly attended the 2023 International LGBTQ+ Leaders Conference in Washington D.C. McIntyre managed Steele's calendar, meetings, and outreach events. He told the ethics board he was 'told to go' to the conference with Steele in late 2023. After learning about the trip, BOR staff told Balanoff twice that McIntyre would need to use paid time off to go because the conference was 'political in nature and unrelated to McIntyre's County duties,' according to the board's ruling. Balanoff told them Steele pushed back and he went on to approve travel and lodging expenses. The board did not determine attendance was 'prohibited political activity,' but did conclude it was unrelated to his job at the county. Balanoff, they said, 'still approved and submitted' McIntyre's request for reimbursement, permitting him 'to misuse County property,' and failing to ask about the purpose of the conference or review any materials related to it. Steele, meanwhile, 'had even more of a duty' to meet the highest ethical standards as the head of the office, including getting preauthorization for attendance at conferences and training sessions. In the third finding, the ethics board concluded Balanoff, Steele's director of special projects, 'conducted dual employment' by doing legal work for his own firm and attended non-government activities — including two Cubs games — on county time on four separate occasions. Balanoff admitted to answering client calls and working on three real estate transactions during county hours, though he contended he did not have a set 9-to-5 schedule at the county. Balanoff posted pictures of himself at Wrigley Field and the nearby bar, Murphy's Bleachers, on social media on August 4, 2023, when the team played against the Braves, after clocking in at the county that morning. He posted on his Instagram from Wrigley again on April 1, 2024, the day of the Cubs season opener against the Rockies. According to the board, he used sick time to attend when he should have used vacation time, a violation of the county's attendance policy. Balanoff also joined a Board of Review meeting virtually in September 2023 while on a plane for a personal trip after clocking in that morning and not requesting time off. He said he had notified Steele of the travel. The board reported a similar incident in which Balanoff traveled for personal reasons without clocking out. The board separately found Balanoff took non-county calls during normal working hours. Balanoff tried to challenge the board's investigatory findings after he resigned on May 25, arguing the board didn't have jurisdiction anymore, that he did not knowingly violate the county's rules, and that his use of county resources was 'de minimus,' because they did not interfere with his county duties or impose extra taxpayer cost. The board said those arguments were 'unavailing,' that his behavior was 'troubling,' and that the comingling of the outside activities 'creates the appearance of impropriety' and misused taxpayer funds, but was not 'an indictment of Balanoff's performance of his County duties.' He was fined a total of $4,500 for various ethics provisions, which are due within 30 days. Balanoff on Friday said the ruling was a political attack by opponents to unionization within the office. 'We obviously don't agree with it, I'm going to appeal,' he said.
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Boston Globe
Lindsay Clancy's testing by government experts to be streamed live for defense but not recorded, prosecutor says
'They're fine with recording the interviews of the defendant,' Sprague said. 'However, regarding the testing, there are copyright issues. So ... their request is that there be a live feed that counsel have access to, where we can observe the testing, but that it wouldn't be recorded due to copyright issues.' It wasn't immediately clear what the testing will entail. Advertisement 'I would have no objection to the defense experts viewing that live feed as well,' Sprague said. Clancy's lawyer, Kevin Reddington, appearing remotely via Zoom, requested the parties return for an August hearing to 'just to talk about this ... issue with the live feeds, recordings.' Judge William F. Sullivan set the next hearing date for Aug. 25. Sullivan it 'makes sense' to further discuss the matter then, adding that 'it's probably best that we have a specific order, and that'll then give us enough time to set it up.' Clancy, 34, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder for the Jan. 24, 2023, slayings of her daughter Advertisement The defense has said it Should she be found not guilty by reason of insanity, Clancy would be sent to a state psychiatric hospital where she'd come up for periodic reviews to determine whether she could be released. Under that scenario, she could remain hospitalized for the remainder of her life. Also Friday, the parties discussed the status of the government's I Advertisement Patrick Clancy (center) leaves a funeral for his three children, Cora, Dawson and Callan, who were killed, allegedly by his wife. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff Sullivan on Friday asked about the status of the New Yorker material, and prosecutors said they're working to find an attorney licensed in New York who can file the appropriate paperwork to obtain the records from the publisher. Clancy's trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 9, records show. Travis Andersen can be reached at
Axios
3 days ago
- Axios
Local LGBTQ+ trailblazers reflect on a decade of marriage equality
Every Valentine's Day, Jimmie and Mindy Beall used to symbolically ask for a marriage license, knowing they'd be denied due to their sexual orientation. Ten years ago today, the answer finally changed. Why it matters: They were familiar faces at the Franklin County Courthouse — and first in its line for a license the day Obergefell v. Hodges legalized same-sex marriages nationwide. Their right to be married feels increasingly threatened, they tell Axios, as LGBTQ+ people face a surge of political and legal challenges. Flashback: That 2015 morning "seems like it was yesterday," Mindy says. Jimmie had been tracking Supreme Court activity, so they arrived before the ruling was even announced with a tray of freshly baked cookies. That's what courthouse staff had often apologetically offered when they stopped by. News outlets nationwide shared their celebration photo and the Columbus City Schools educators quickly became "same-sex marriage pioneers," as one Dispatch story put it. What they're saying: "I never thought that I would see marriage equality in my lifetime, ever," says Mindy, 62. "When it happened, it was obviously a wonderful thing for us. But I didn't foresee what's happening now, either." "It was a question mark for a long time," Jimmie, 65, adds. "Then it was like an exclamation mark. And now it's like ... a comma." Between the lines: Mindy and Jimmie no longer feel that they need to hide their love, as getting married with federal protections "legitimizes" their 22-year relationship to many. But there are also unromantic, yet important, benefits involving paperwork they worry they could lose. Before getting married, something as mundane as a doctor's visit was complicated by only one of them being their child's legal guardian. Since Trump's reelection, Equality Ohio has handled a surge of LGBTQ+ Ohioans seeking legal advice regarding parenting rights, wills, powers of attorney and more, driven by concerns Obergefell could be overturned, executive director Dwayne Steward tells Axios. What's next: The Bealls' 10th wedding anniversary is next Valentine's Day, the date they finally — and fittingly — had their ceremony. But they're celebrating today, too, as the date it all became possible. Mindy's gift to Jimmie: a blanket with the Obergefell decision written in tiny text, forming a rainbow.
