Paula Whitt was charged Monday with several counts of animal cruelty. Her neighbors said she is a good person who took on too much responsibility.
DANDRIDGE, Tenn. — On Sept. 16, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said a woman was facing 55 animal abuse charges after authorities found dozens of dogs in poor condition in her care.
WBIR obtained the sheriff’s office’s preliminary investigative report, which said Detective Sergeant Jacob Gentry reported being “overwhelmed by the stench of feces and urine in the outside area where the dogs were.”
He wrote that dogs were in kennels and crates with no room to move around. Gentry also said he saw a pregnant dog with deceased fetuses inside her and a puppy who was declared dead by the time he wrote his report.
He then spoke with Whitt and determined she failed to provide water and food to 55 of the animals which caused a “substantial risk of death.”
One neighbor said he reached out to city and county officials to help Whitt, but no one ever came. All three WBIR spoke with said she should be held responsible, but they believe she had good intentions.
David Blakely, another neighbor, said he noticed when she moved the trailer in for the animals, but didn’t know what it was for at the time.
“At first we just saw a few dogs that’d be running around there in the front yard. I thought it was like 10 or 15 dogs,” he said.
Blakely said his understanding was that she would find dogs that were about to be euthanized and take them in. He would see food and other supplies getting dropped off at her house, but he said around six months ago those deliveries stopped.
“You start off doing good and I guess you get wrapped up in it trying to save dogs, and then in the end you’re not saving them, you’re hurting them,” Blakely said.
Whitt has also been charged with possession of methamphetamines and drug paraphernalia. She will appear in court on Sept. 24. John Coffee, the Jefferson County Sheriff, said a judge will decide whether the dogs, which were taken to a shelter, can be fostered.