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Pair charged with 28 counts of animal cruelty
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| By: Teresa Stone Irwin |
October 03, 2009 |
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Jeannette Lynn Brown and Tina Marie Vetterlein
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Two Union County females were arrested on Sept. 28 for 28 counts of animal abuse and cruelty.
Taken into custody were Jeannette Lynn Brown, 52, and Tina Marie Vetterlein, 38, who reside together on Southwest 88th Run, located off of C.R. 238.
The arrests stem from a month-long investigation conducted by the Union County Sheriff's Office and the Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement following reported allegations of severe animal cruelty.
An investigation began on Sept. 7, when deputies first went to the property with information that a horse on the farm had been shot. It was revealed that the shot horse had possibly been dead for several days. Yet another horse carcass was found on the farm, leading deputies to conduct a thorough inspection of the property.
Deputies met with Department of Agriculture investigators the following day and it was discovered that numerous animals were in severe danger from malnutrition and lack of water.
Department of Agriculture investigators and sheriff's deputies seized the remaining animals and delivered them to a veterinarian in Gainesville for immediate medical treatment. The animals removed from the farm included 10 horses, one donkey, a goat, a bull and two dogs.
Brown and Vetterlein were each charged with 14 felony counts of animal cruelty and an additional 14 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. Each was released on their own recognizance after posting a $10,000 bond.
Union County Sheriff Whitehead stated that animal abuse of any kind cannot be tolerated. According to Whitehead, the autopsy of one of the horses showed it had nearly 30 pounds of sand in its stomach. Lt. Doug York stated that the surviving animals will likely be put up for adoption.
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©Bradford County Telegraph 2009
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