A north Mississippi animal shelter caring for 27 dogs whose owners have been charged with animal neglect is hoping that the case is an opportunity to reexamine the state’s animal protection laws, which have been rated as among the weakest in the nation. 

The owner and his fiance are facing misdemeanors.

“Stuff like this case is not as uncommon as people think it is,” said Meridith Perry, interim director of the Corinth Alcorn Animal Shelter. “It is happening more than people realize.”

One puppy was dead and scavenged by the other dogs. 

A tip from a neighbor led the Corinth police to a Pleasant Grove Road home where several dogs were outside. Inside, police and staff from the shelter and rescue organizations found malnourished and sick dogs without food and water. 

Mixed breed dogs ranging in age from a few months old to adult age hid under furniture and others stood on it, video released by the local animal shelter shows. Feces and urine covered the ground. 

Perry said the shelter is over capacity since taking in the rescued dogs. 

The owner of the home, Jonathan Hurst, a Corinth city employee terminated this week, was arrested July 28 and, days later, so was his fiance, Sondra Bullard. Both were charged with 27 counts of animal cruelty – a misdemeanor charge for each dog discovered at the property.

After initial hearings last week, both pleaded not guilty and were released on personal recognizance, according to the Corinth Municipal Court’s office. Their next scheduled court date is Nov. 4. 

They could not be reached for comment Friday.

Hurst, who worked for the city’s sewer department, lost his job Tuesday. Mayor Ralph Dance said the termination was unrelated to the animal neglect case, but rather issues related to his employment, the Daily Corinthian reported. 

The city is also considering demolition of the home where the dogs were found because it has been contaminated and is not salvageable. 

The Animal Legal Defense Funds ranked Mississippi’s animal protection laws as No. 45 in the nation in its recent report, based on statutes and categories of protection. 

In Mississippi, a charge of simple animal cruelty includes the criminal neglect or intent of depriving a dog or cat of adequate shelter, food or water or confining them in a cruel manner. A charge carries a penalty of up to six months in jail or a maximum $1,000 fine, or both. 

For Hurst and Bullard, that could mean up to 13 ½ years of jail time, $27,000 in fines or both if convicted of all 27 charges.

Aggravated cruelty, a felony, is intentional harm of a dog or cat. Each charge can come with a maximum three-year prison sentence, a $5,000 fine or both. Subsequent offenses within five years carry a prison sentence of one to 10 years and a maximum $10,000 fine. 

“We’re not really holding people accountable to the level they should be,” said Perry, who noted that in other states, there is more of an ability to charge animal cruelty as a felony rather than a misdemeanor.

Under state law updated in 2020, a judge can prohibit someone from owning animals in the future, order the person to seek counseling or to complete community service. 

Those found to violate that prohibition can be fined and their animals forfeited to the state, according to state law.  

Convictions have varied for people charged with animal cruelty under the law. 

In 2020, a Jones County woman was charged with 38 counts after caged and hungry dogs were rescued and five dogs were found dead at a property she owned. She was sentenced to 114 months in jail with six to serve, thousands in fines, hundreds of community service hours and an order to undergo a psychological evaluation. 

Last year, a woman who ran a Harrison County animal rescue organization pleaded no contest to 10 counts of animal cruelty and was ordered to serve six months in jail. Sheriff’s deputies went to her property in 2022 and found 30 dead dogs, a dead buzzard and live dogs that were taken in by the nearby animal shelter.

A man pleaded guilty in March to aggravated animal cruelty for throwing a dog off a balcony in Hattiesburg, breaking its bones. In an order of nonadjudication of guilt, he was ordered to complete community service and remain in good behavior. 

The FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System began collecting information about animal cruelty incidents from law enforcement agencies in 2016. But the agency cautions that the numbers may be underreported because not every law enforcement agency reports data and animal control agencies and humane organizations that often investigate cruelty aren’t able to report data. 

Preliminary analysis of the data from 2018 found 4.3 animal cruelty incidents nationally per 100,000 people – far less than incidents of crimes such as assault, robbery and drug offenses. 

In Mississippi, data from the reporting system from 2020 through 2022 showed a total of 362 reported animal cruelty incidents. As the FBI noted, the data is likely underreported because for these years, incidents were reported from 30 to 80 agencies – a fraction of the hundreds of law enforcement agencies that exist in the state. 

As of Friday, the rescued dogs from the Corinth home are recovering. Eight of them were taken into the care of Guardians of Rescue and placed in foster homes out of state. The remaining are in the care of the Corinth Alcorn Animal Shelter. 

Some of the younger ones in better health will be ready for adoption or transport out of state in the coming weeks, Perry said. 

Through the end of the month, adoptions are $50 for dogs that have been at the shelter for a year or more, which she said will help clear up space. 

The shelter staff expressed gratitude to the community and supporters from beyond Corinth who have donated dog food, cleaning supplies and money to help with medical bills. 

“The support has been overwhelming,” Perry said. “We didn’t expect anything of it. We had no idea of what to expect. We just put out the call.” 

For more information about how to help the shelter and updates about the rescued dogs, visit www.facebook.com/corinthalcornanimalshelter

The post Ex-Corinth city employee, fiance charged with 27 counts of animal cruelty appeared first on Mississippi Today.