A dog needed emergency veterinary care and several cats were found in poor condition after Henderson County deputies investigated an animal cruelty case in the Dana community on November 1. Two people now face felony and multiple misdemeanor charges, including an allegation of child abuse, in connection with the discovery.
Joshua Spires and Shannon Bergeron were arrested after deputies responded to the Dana community and found the animals, according to Henderson County deputies, as reported by WYFF. The dog was transported for emergency veterinary care, according to WSPA, which first reported details of the investigation.
Both Spires and Bergeron were charged with one count of felony animal cruelty, seven counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty, one count of misdemeanor child abuse, and resisting a public officer. The pair were transported to the Henderson County Detention Center following their arrests, the station's report notes.
Investigation Still Open, Few Details Released
The Henderson County Sheriff's Office has said the incident remains part of an ongoing investigation and is not releasing additional information at this time, per the same account. The circumstances behind the child-abuse charge have not been detailed publicly, and no information on the defendants' pleas, court dates, or bond has been released.
Henderson County deputies are asking anyone who witnesses animal abuse to contact the sheriff's office at 828-697-4911.
Part of a Pattern in Henderson County
This is not the first animal cruelty case to emerge from the Dana area this year. In July, the sheriff's office's Animal Enforcement unit responded to a welfare check for animals in the Dana area and ultimately charged 68-year-old Timothy Hefner with 26 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty after 26 dogs were found in inhumane conditions, according to WLOS.
Henderson County has seen several other animal cruelty cases in recent memory. In one, two dogs believed to have been abandoned at a house for two weeks were found severely underweight, with their ribs, backbone and hips clearly visible, and were taken to Henderson County Animal Services for evaluation and care, WSPA reported separately. In another case, Virginia Ledford Burrell and Henry Wayne Hollenbeck were charged with felony animal cruelty after deputies said an emaciated dog was found tethered to a tree, according to WYFF.
A more disturbing case also surfaced in the county, where detectives discovered seven deceased dogs in trash bags inside a shed, most showing signs of severe decomposition. Stacy Rose was charged with multiple animal-cruelty counts and other offenses in that case, WYFF reported at the time.
What North Carolina Law Says
North Carolina's animal cruelty statute, codified as § 14-360, is titled “Cruelty to animals,” according to the North Carolina General Assembly. The state's resisting-officers statute, G.S. 14-223, addresses anyone who shall “willfully and unlawfully resist, delay or obstruct a public officer,” per the same source, though the full scope of both statutes was not detailed in the available excerpts.
No further details about the condition of the animals, the number of cats involved, or the outcome of the case against Spires and Bergeron have been released. The Henderson County Sheriff's Office said the investigation continues.
