Overdose call results in animal neglect, meth charges
MORGAN COUNTY — What started out as an overdose investigation evolved into something far more last weekend, when the Morgan County…
MORGAN COUNTY — What started out as an overdose investigation evolved into something far more last weekend, when the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office arrested two men and the Morgan County Humane Society (MCHS) seized 140 animals from a Morgan County home just south of Stilesville.
Late last Friday evening, Morgan County Sheriff’s Office deputies went to investigate a possible overdose at 10000 block of W. Ind. 42, where they found a deceased male on the kitchen floor.
After obtaining permission to search the house from homeowner Joseph Smith, deputies made a number of additional discoveries.
In the bedroom where the deceased man allegedly kept his things, the officers found drug paraphernalia, which included, per Deputy Brighton Sichting’s probable cause affidavit, “a metal spoon with residue what (sic) field tested positive for methamphetamine, a sharps contain containing hypodermic needles, a green belt which appeared to be used as a tie off, a black leather portfolio containing a plastic bag containing a powdery substance and aluminum foil containing a powdery residue.”
The search also turned up a cut straw containing a powdery residue, a clear plastic cylinder containing a green leafy substance, which Sichting identified in his report as raw marijuana, as well as a Swann surveillance system with a hard drive.
In a jacket, they found three glass smoking devices. Sichting wrote in the probable cause affidavit that he believed two were used for smoking raw marijuana and the other was used for smoking methamphetamine.
It was also during the search when Sichting came across the room where the animals were held.
“The animals are being kept in crates that appear to have not been cleaned or maintained properly in days. Twenty-plus dogs are being kept in wood boxes on the floor that are approximately 1 foot, 5 inches height by 3 feet wide which all do have access to outside crates,” Sichting wrote. “The majority of the dogs are too large to be kept in these style crates and the majority of animals that are being kept inside, in crates, are covered in feces and are without food and water.”
Sichting contacted Indianapolis Animal Care Services, and after reviewing the living conditions, the agency informed Sichting that the animals were being neglected and that he would need to file a warrant in order to have them removed.
On Nov. 24, he obtained warrants to search and seize all animals within and outside the residence, to seize all electronic devices and to search for and seize all drugs and drug paraphernalia. The sheriff’s department and Humane Society executed the warrants on Nov. 25.
During the search, Sichting found Smith walking through his backyard, ordered him to stop and handcuffed him. He explained to Smith that he had search warrants and asked Smith if there was anyone else inside the residence. Smith informed Sichting that there was a man inside the house. Deputy Patrick Williams stayed with Smith while Sichting cleared the residence with Sgt. Dan Downing and Sgt. Brad Cooley.
Inside, they found Jeremiah Morgan naked and asleep on the couch. They had to physically rouse him from his sleep. Near Morgan, they found a used syringe, a metal spoon with burnt residue that tested positive for methamphetamine, a piece of glass containing a white powdery residue and a credit card containing residue. Morgan also had a writ of attachment out of Morgan County.
Morgan was transported to the Morgan County Jail and Smith was taken by ambulance to St. Francis Mooresville after he complained of chest pains.
During the Nov. 25 search, the officers found a substantial amount of paraphernalia in the house, as well as $4,382 in cash.
Smith was charged with dealing methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, possession of paraphernalia, possession of a syringe, maintain a common nuisance and neglect of vertebrate animals.
Morgan was charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of paraphernalia, possession of a syringe and visiting a common nuisance.
The cases for Morgan and Smith were filed on Nov. 27 in Morgan County Superior Court 1. The initial hearing for both was at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 28. The final pretrial conference for both is scheduled at 3 p.m. Feb. 2, 2019, and the jury trial is scheduled for 9 a.m. April 9, 2019.
“The death investigation is still ongoing at this time. I can’t really release any information in regards to that at this point in time, (but) we don’t believe any foul play is suspected,” Sichting said. “I should note, no trauma was noted on the body.”
Animals
MCHS Executive Director Jennifer Londergan said the shelter determined they’d need a warrant in order to remove the animals after visiting the scene last Friday night and early Saturday morning.
“We took in 45 dogs, 78 assorted poultry, 12 cats and five fish,” Londergan said. “This was definitely a breeder situation. It is what we would consider a puppy mill. All of the dogs have medical issues of some kind and were in all various states of neglect.”
The dogs include two different large dog breeds and at least eight different small dog breeds. Most of the poultry are chickens, as well as six ducks and five guinea fowl. The fish are either goldfish or smaller koi.
“We actually wind up housing poultry more often than one would think, but usually one or two or five — not 78,” Londergan said. “So when we have something like this, we ask partner rescue groups to help us hold the animals — people that have an appropriate farm setup. And so those animals, the poultry, are being held for us by one of our partner rescues.”
The fish are currently being cared for in an aquarium at a foster home.
The Humane Society has dealt with animal seizures of this scope in the past, but it’s been a number of years since that last happened. The number of animals seized has put a strain on the resources of the shelter, and they have had to make room for all the new arrivals.
“The situation at the shelter is extraordinarily overwhelmed right now. Taking in 45 dogs at once doubles the amount of animals that we have here in a single day,” Londergan said. “So in addition to that, one of the issues is that the animals are not available for adoption. They belong to the court system right now, and so their ownership will be determined down the road, so we can’t place any of these animals.”
Rooms at the shelter have been repurposed to hold the animals. The cat room where there shelter’s cats roamed freely is now holding the small dogs and the visitation/adoption room is being used to hold the cats, to prevent cross-contamination with the shelter’s other cats.
The shelter is also financially responsible for the animals, which means taking care of any minor medical issue the animals may have.
“We are not allowed, unless it’s life threatening, to care for their major medical issues at this time,” Londergan.
Another wrinkle in the situation: the shelter normally doesn’t have puppies in house, so they are in need of supplies for puppies including potty pads, puppy food, blankets, towels and cleaning supplies.
Currently, the animals are in legal limbo. The legal side could take up to a year work out, but there are several possibilities for what might happen.
“The owner could surrender the animals, which would allow us to provide them with immediate care, vet them and place them for adoption,” Londergan said. “The owner could challenge this in court, at which point it just depends on how quickly it works through, some of these cases can last up to a year.”