Animal experts called in for cruelty case

A battle of experts continues today in the trial of a couple charged with animal cruelty.

John Wilkinson, 55, of 182 Harris St., and his former wife, Cynthia Wilkinson, 52, of 178 Harris St., are charged with animal cruelty after Battle Creek police said they found 70 animals, many of them exotic, living in filthy conditions without adequate water or food in the Wilkinsons' homes.

"What is going to be the big issue," Assistant Calhoun County Prosecutor Sarah Lincoln told a District Court jury, "is whether they were being properly cared for. Some are saying yes, and some are saying no."

John Wilkinson is charged with three counts of animal cruelty and Cynthia Wilkinson with two counts. Both face up to 93 days in jail and fines of $1,000 if convicted.

Testimony continues today before District Judge Frank Line.

The couple were charged after police went to the homes Aug. 2 as part of a firearms investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives against John Wilkinson. He has not been charged in that case.

But officers said they found the animals — including snakes, a snapping turtle, birds, fish, ferrets, rabbits and chickens — in unsanitary conditions.

"They were filthy," Animal Control Officer Ronda Burgess told Lincoln about cages holding between 20 and 30 snakes. "They apparently had not been cleaned in some time."

Later during cross examination by Defense Attorney Richard Pattison, Burgess said "when I go into a house that smells so bad my eyes are burning, then I think there is a problem. I took all the animals for the welfare of the animals."

Burgess said she found cages filled with feces and most without water. But she admitted to Pattison that she didn't know much about caring for exotic animals.

"That's why we consulted with people who know about animals," she said.

The city called in several experts from Binder Park Zoo and the surrounding area, and some of them will testify at the trial.

Dr. Jeff LaHuis, a veterinarian at the Dickman Road Animal Veterinary at 455 W. Dickman Road, said he saw animals living in poor conditions without food and water.

LaHuis said one rabbit he inspected "was not eating and was very thin. If you took the fur off, you were looking at a stick figure."

Dr. John Patterson, a veterinarian at Michigan State University, conducted a necropsy on the rabbit, which died a few days after it was seized.

Patterson said the rabbit died from starvation, and while eating problems could be attributed to the stress of being moved the week before it died, its condition had been deteriorating three to four weeks.

Teresa Moran of Lansing, an expert on snakes, said she took temporary custody of 16 snakes from the house and she found they were living in cages and tanks that were too small, were dirty and were lacking water.

"Some looked like they had not been cleaned in weeks, if not longer," she said.

Pattison told the jury in his opening statement that he would call veterinarians who would testify that the conditions were fine for the animals.

"All the questions will be answered so that it will convince you that Mr. Wilkinson knows what he is doing," Pattison said.

"This case is about the government visiting terrible damage on the animals and families living there," he said. "They did a terrible disservice to my clients, their beloved animals and the community.

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Here's a followup article. Mitch Brynes, from Diamond Reptile Breeders has testified for the defense.

Snakes seized from a Battle Creek home this summer were in good shape, a defense witness testified Wednesday.

"I didn't see anything wrong," said Mitch Brynes, owner of Diamond Reptile Breeders in Bushnell, Fla. "All the snakes were fat and healthy. None of those snakes were thin."

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Brynes was the first witness called by Defense Attorney Richard Pattison in the trial of John Wilkinson, 55, of 182 Harris St. and his former wife, Cynthia Wilkinson, 52, of 178 Harris St.

Both are charged in Calhoun County District Court with animal cruelty after Battle Creek police said they found animals in both homes living in filthy conditions without adequate food or water.

Testimony before a six-person jury and District Judge Frank Line was adjourned until Friday when the trial is expected to conclude. If found guilty, the couple face maximum penalties of 93 days in jail.

Brynes, who said he has 1,000 snakes at his business, said he has known John Wilkinson for 10 years. He said he has sold him snakes and other animals and hired Wilkinson to raise some of his animals.

More than a dozen of the 20 to 30 snakes seized at the house on Aug. 2 belonged to Brynes, he said.

Looking at a series of photographs taken the day of the police raid, Brynes said the aquariums and cages appeared adequate in size and were clean. He said the snakes appeared to be healthy.

He disputed earlier testimony that the cages were too small.

"People think bigger is better," he said, "but they feel more secure in smaller areas. Bigger looks nicer, but it's not needed."

Brynes said the snakes also defecate as a way to mark their territory as soon as cages are cleaned, "and if the cages are too clean they will try to get away from their domain."

The testimony contradicted several prosecution witnesses called Tuesday and Wednesday by Assistant Prosecutor Sarah Lincoln.

James Harrison, director of the Kentucky Reptile Zoo in Slade, Ky., said several of the snakes were sent to his facility for care after they were taken from the Wilkinsons.

He said several had minor injuries and that some of the cages he saw were dirty, broken and too small for the snakes.

"I put my hand in one cage and you couldn't see my hand through the glass," he said.

And Sean Trimbach of Medway, Ohio, who took the snakes to Harrison, said "the cleanliness was atrocious. It didn't appear they had been cared for or cleaned them for a number of weeks."

Eric Tobin of Battle Creek, the president of the Michigan Association of Herpetologists, said he helped remove the animals from the homes and saw cages with fecal material and some without water.

"There had been considerable time without cleaning," he said.

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Brynes said the snakes also defecate as a way to mark their territory as soon as cages are cleaned, "and if the cages are too clean they will try to get away from their domain."

Um.....WTF?

so does that mean i should quit cleaning my cages every week ?

Originally Posted by Cat_72

Um.....WTF?

you know... ive heard of that BS too.....

Note to self: Dont buy snakes from Mitch Brynes.