waldo

In Double Springs, Alabama, over the Memorial Day weekend, another Winston County dog was brutalized and burned to death. The Ward family' s pet Australian Shepherd, Waldo, disappeared that weekend, and the Wards suspected that Waldo was in the barn. When the debris and rubble from the fire were being cleaned up on June 23, 2001, their fears were confirmed. Waldo was found in their burned-down barn with a machete in its neck, its snout cut off and its jawbone removed. The dog's leg bone was dismembered from its body as well. The Ward family owned two machetes, but two were found lying near the dog's body and one was found in the dog's neck.

What kind of sick individual would brutally dismember a dog in such a cruel way? What kind of person could do something like that to a poor defenseless little animal? We can only begin to guess at the horror Waldo endured, and we can only begin to guess at what drives a monster like whoever did this to this little dog to do such a thing. What could possibly be his motivation? I honestly can�t come anywhere close to answers to these questions.

The burning of the barn as arson is under investigation by the Fire Marshall, Philip Freeman. Diane Ward has stated that she heard Waldo barking, and then silence. When she arose the next morning, her barn was burned to the ground. The Wards have been experiencing harassment, which has included gun shots fired into their unoccupied automobile, and gun shots fired into their mobile home over a four-year period. Officers involved in the investigation include: Sheriff Ed Townsend and Sheriff's Investigator Steve Rogers. An article in The Northwest Alabamian by reporter Chad Fell states that there are �leads on the case and arrests pending.�

Something serious to consider:

What message did the outcome (Grand Jury failed to indict) of the William Robinson case of Delmar, AL, also in Winston County (in which Mr. Robinson shot his 7 month old puppy twice, then set him on fire while he made his children watch), send to the people of Winston County and the state of Alabama?

Apparently, that animal cruelty is no big deal in the State of Alabama.

How many animals must die torturous deaths before this state's judicial system takes The Pet Protection Law (HB182) seriously? Please write Attorney General Bill Pryor, Governor Don Siegelman and Winston County District Attorney Alvis E. Tidwell, and insist that justice be brought forth in this case. Insist that it be thoroughly investigated:

The Honorable Bill Pryor
Attorney General of Alabama
Office of the Attorney General
11 S. Union St.
Montgomery, AL 36130
Phone:(334) 242-7300 (ask for the Executive Division)
Fax: (334) 242-4891
http://www.ago.state.al.us

Please also cc your letters to Alabama's governor:

The Honorable Don Siegelman
State Capitol, Room N104
600 Dexter Ave.
Montgomery, AL 36130
Phone: (334) 242-7100
Fax: (334) 242-0937
http://www.governor.state.al.us

Alvis E. Tidwell
Winston County District Attorney
Post Office Box 1596
Hamilton, Alabama 35570-1596
Phone: 205-921-7403
Fax: 205-921-4443

Ed Townsend, Sheriff
Winston County Sheriff's Dept.
Post Office Box 10
Double Springs, AL 35553
Phone: 205-489-2115
Fax: 205-489-3030
Email: [email protected]

Elmo Robinson, Mayor
Post Office Box 279
Double Springs, AL 35553
Phone: 205-489-5447
Fax: 205-489-3529
Email: [email protected]

Stan Thomas, Chief of Police
Post Office Box 279
Double Springs, AL 35553
Phone: 205-489-5447
Fax: 205-489-3529
No email address

Chad Fell
The Northwest Alabamian
Highway 195E East
Haleyville, Al 35565
Phone: 205-486-9461
Fax: 205-486-4849
Email: [email protected]

In addition to losing Waldo, the family also lost all of their tack for their 5 horses. The horses, 3 geldings, 1 Palomino mare and 1 stud, are now in pasture. The following is a list of items needed for the horses. They need tack for 15 hands and taller as the horses are very large.

2 - 15" Western saddles
2 - bits, one O-ring snapple bit
5 - lead ropes, stud cain
5 - large halters
2 - girt straps
2 - saddle blankets
5 - shipping blankets
1 - riding crop
1 - lunge robe

If you can help with any of these items or know someone who can, please send the items, along with a note requesting a receipt, to the Greater Birmingham Humane Society, and they will send you a tax-deductible "Gift-In-Kind" receipt to be used for a tax write off.

The Greater Birmingham Humane Society
1713 Lomb Avenue
Birmingham, Alabama 35208

August 28, 2001

Dear (Mr. Shapiro or Ms. Walters):

I am writing you to make you aware of a situation that I believe warrants media attention. In Winston County, Alabama, there have been 3 cases of animal cruelty/torture/killings in the past 12 months (these are the only 3 that I am aware of). This seems to be a trend in Winston County, Alabama.

In Delmar, Alabama, on August 29, 2000, William Robinson became angry because the family dog was rummaging through the garbage. Robinson retrieved a gun and shot the dog twice. After seeing that that the puppy was still alive, Robinson picked up the puppy and dumped the suffering dog on a pile of trash, doused him with a flammable substance and set him on fire. According to neighbors, the puppy was screaming as the flames were engulfing his body, and then finally, the puppy inhaled flames into his lungs and died. The puppy�s screams of pain and agony were heard by neighbors, but the neighbors were unable to get to him. And, if that isn�t horrible enough, Robinson�s children were witnesses to this violent and cruel crime.

The Attorney General's office presented the case before a Jury for felony indictment on May 1, 2001; however, the jurors were unable to reach the unanimous agreement required to indict. This decision bodes ill for any other animals or people who will encounter Mr. Robinson in the future (including the new dog that Mr. Robinson is reported to have acquired).

Responding to many calls and letters he has received about this case, Alabama Attorney General, Bill Pryor has said publicly in a press release that he would consider re-submitting the case if presented with new evidence. However, according to Alabama law, new evidence is not necessary to pursue the case against Robinson. Alabama recently passed a law, which went into effect August 1, 2000, that upgrades the penalty for intentionally torturing a dog or cat from a misdemeanor to a Class C felony, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $5,000 fine. This law came into effect approximately one month before Robinson allegedly committed this crime against his dog.

Consider this: What message did the outcome of this case send to the people of Winston County and the state of Alabama? Apparently, that animal cruelty is no big deal in the State of Alabama.

The second case that I�m aware of occurred over the Memorial Day weekend of this year in Double Springs, Alabama; again in Winston County. The Ward family woke up that weekend and found that their barn had been burned down and that their pet Australian Shepherd, Waldo, was missing. When the debris and rubble from the fire were being cleaned up on June 23, 2001, Waldo was discovered in the burned-down barn with a machete in his neck, his snout cut off and his jawbone removed. Waldo�s leg bone was dismembered from his body as well. The Ward family owned two machetes, but two were found lying near Waldo�s body, and one was found in Waldo�s neck., which makes a total of three.

Though they have suspects in this case, no one has been arrested.

The third instance of pet killings occurred this past spring. Eight residents of Ellenburg Drive in Haleyville, Alabama, Winston County, were victims of pet poisonings. Approximately 10 dogs were poisoned and, according to the veterinarians who examined several dogs in the subdivision, the dogs all showed the classic symptoms of insecticide poisoning, in particular, Temik, which is a poison that is so toxic that it has been banned by the EPA.

Apparently, this is another case in Winston County, Alabama, that the officials are doing nothing about. According to one of the subdivision residents that I have personally spoken with, the police haven�t even questioned the person who committed these crimes, even though the person admitted to one of the subdivision residents that he poisoned the animals.

Since the Will Robinson case was never resolved, I, along with many other people, believe that that is the reason that these other two cases are not being taken seriously and that that is why they are moving along so slowly. Why have a new law if it isn�t going to be enforced? If the Will Robinson case were to be prosecuted, then the other cases and any future cases would be resolved in a more expeditious manner. Also, a fair and just resolution to the Robinson case would make future potential animal abusers/killers think twice before they commit this type of crime.

People are not happy about this repeated animal cruelty trend. They are not sitting idly but are working very hard to see that Will Robinson and the perpetrators of these other two crimes are held accountable for their actions. They are angry and will not tolerate animal abuse. I have enclosed with this letter three petitions�one for each case�along with the signatures. If you�ll take a look at these signatures, you�ll see that people from all over the country have signed them; not just people who live in Alabama.

I have also enclosed correspondences from the Humane Society of the United States to the officials of Alabama, as well as a couple of press releases publicized by the HSUS. They have been working vigorously to try to get the Will Robinson case prosecuted.

If you have any questions or need additional information, I can be reached at the following phone numbers and/or email address:

XXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX
[email protected]

You can also read more about these cases on my anti-cruelty website, www.ptinnocents.org.

I hope that you will consider publicizing this story. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Jamie J. Knight
Address: XXXXXXXXXXXX
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