A Daviess County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a chimpanzee that attacked him in Winston, Mo.

Meanwhile, a subsequent search of the residence where the incident occurred resulted in the filing of animal abuse and neglect charges against three people, the sheriff’s department added.

  (Photo courtesy of Ray Scherer/St. Joseph News-Press)

The situation began unfolding when deputies were dispatched to a Winston residence on a call of a chimpanzee running loose. Deputies assisted the owners in trying to recapture or corral the animal. After several failed attempts, the chimp opened a patrol car, grabbed a deputy’s leg and tried to strike the officer.

“The deputy struck the chimp in the chest, pushing him away,” the sheriff’s department said. “The chimp attempted to attack the deputy again. This time, the deputy had to use deadly force in self-defense.”

The deputy, Larry Adams, suffered minor injuries. The chimp’s owners received cuts and scratches from the attack and were treated at the scene.

Officers returned to the residence the next day, where they carried out a search warrant concerning reported animal abuse and neglect — and made the arrests.

Brent Daniel Hudson, 49; Cherace Hudson, 41; and Mary C. Overton, 52, all of Winston, each face one charge of operating an animal care facility as a breeder or dealer without a license; two counts of animal abuse; nine counts of violating provisions regarding disposal of dead animals; one count of animal neglect or abandonment; and four counts of keeping a dangerous wild animal without registration filed with local law enforcement. Bond was set at $5,000 apiece.

According to a probable cause statement the sheriff filed with the Daviess County prosecutor’s office, Mr. Hudson was the owner of Timmy, a large 9-year-old chimpanzee. Mr. Hudson failed to keep the animal under adequate control and from running at large on Missouri Route Y, resulting in the attack on Mr. Adams, the statement continued.

Mr. Hudson also failed to have four primates living at the address registered with local law enforcement. He also allegedly committed the crime of animal abuse by failing to provide adequate care to 13 types of dogs at the house.

“The animals were living in extreme filth,” the statement said. Two dogs were immediately taken to an animal hospital. Mr. Hudson also is charged with failing to properly dispose of nine deceased dogs located outside the residence.

Evidence discovered at the residence further revealed an apparent commercial animal breeding operation.

The Humane Society of Missouri is offering a $3,000 reward for information leading to the location and recovery of dogs removed from the residence. The Missouri Department of Agriculture responded and requested the society’s assistance in rescuing an estimated 200 dogs and three primates.

People with information on the whereabouts of the remaining dogs should contact the Humane Society of Missouri’s animal abuse hotline at (314) 647-4400.

Update 4/4/09:  Ninety-two dogs from an alleged Daviess County puppy and primate mill were handed over to authorities but perhaps 100 dogs and several primates remain in unknown locations.

About 17 dogs and cats were found at the home when a warrant was served the day after the chip was killed and three primates were later recovered.

Three people who allegedly operated the puppy mill have been charged with numerous misdemeanor animal charges.

People holding the dogs for the suspects cooperated with authorities and turned over 92 dogs, said Tim Rickey, director of the Humane Society of Missouri’s Animal Cruelty Task Force. Sixty-eight of the dogs were being held at one location, and 24 were held at another.

“(The suspects) tried to disperse these animals to hide them from law enforcement,” Mr. Rickey said.

The 92 animals were taken from Kansas City to the Missouri Humane Society in St. Louis. The Humane Society will ask a judge to grant them custody for adoption.

Authorities believe many more dogs and perhaps as many as eight primates are unaccounted for.  “We believe that they’ve been given to other people,” Mr. Rickey said. “There’s no evidence that they’ve been turned loose.”

The dogs “were in deplorable conditions” in the house, he said. The people lived in the house with the animals — some in cages and some loose, based on widespread feces and urine. Some animals have fractures and problems with eyes, coats, skin and malnutrition, Mr. Rickey said. Nine dogs were found dead at the location.

“We’re hopeful that they’re alive and we are able to find them soon,” Mr. Rickey said. “We’re really concerned about their medical condition.”

He urged anyone with information to call the Humane Society’s abuse hotline at (314) 647-4400.

The people who handed over the animals are not expected to be charged, Mr. Rickey said.  “They cooperated, which is what we asked them to do,” he said.

The dogs are mostly smaller breeds, including Chihuahuas, Shi Tzus, Yorkies, poodles, Maltese and Boston Terriers. The primates could include chimps, macaques and spider monkeys, Mr. Rickey said.

The dogs and the primates are believed to have been part of an unlicensed commercial breeding operation, he said. Such conditions typically are the result of “very poor business practices” and snowballing animal populations, he said.

Mr. Rickey urged animal buyers to confirm that a breeder is licensed or visit the source. He also asked people to consider adoption from a local shelter.  “When you’re buying animals from newspaper ads or Internet ads and meeting someone in a parking lot, this is oftentimes the environment those animals are coming from,” Mr. Rickey said.

Update 4/7/09:  A Daviess County judge gave the Humane Society of Missouri control of 15 dogs seized from an alleged puppy mill last week.

Associate Judge Daren Adkins issued the order following a brief court hearing. The dogs were taken from a house north of Winston March 31 after a search warrant was issued. Law enforcement had first responded to the residence the evening of March 30 on a call of a chimpanzee that had broken out of its cage. A deputy was forced to shoot and kill the animal after it attacked him.

Prosecuting Attorney Andrea Gibson told Mr. Adkins the state was seeking a custody order by the Humane Society of Missouri, which she said has been caring for the dogs since they were retrieved. State law mandates that a disposition hearing be held.

Defendant Brent D. Hudson said he and his wife, Cherace E. Hudson, wanted an opportunity to meet with relatives — some of whom attended the hearing. The couple face multiple charges of animal abuse and neglect, improper disposal of dead animals and operating an animal care facility as a breeder without a license. Mary C. Overton, who also lives at the address, faces identical charges.

“We need to meet with an attorney,” Mr. Hudson angrily told Mr. Adkins. “I don’t want to put any of them to sleep.”  The options for what to do with the animals were limited to euthanasia, impounding at a shelter or designating care pending the outcome of the court case, according to Mr. Adkins.

Daviess County Sheriff Ben Becerra testified that the house exhibited a strong odor and was littered with animal feces.  “There were dogs everywhere,” he said.

Timmy — the chimp who attacked deputy Larry Adams — had earlier attacked another primate caged at the house, Mr. Becerra said.

All three defendants pleaded innocent and were ordered to return to court April 20.

Public Defender Sheri Boyles represented Ms. Overton, but Mr. Adkins said the Hudson's did not qualify for similar counsel. Ms. Boyles asked for her client’s release from custody due to health issues, but was denied.

Mrs. Hudson asked for a reduction to her $5,000 bond. She told Mr. Adkins of a background in law enforcement and social work.  “I’m not a flight risk,” she said. “I was born and raised in this area.”

Mr. Adkins ordered all three defendants not to harbor any animals as a condition of posting bond.

Ninety-two of an estimated 200 dogs and three primates were handed over to authorities and were taken to the Humane Society state headquarters in St. Louis. The whereabouts of perhaps 100 dogs and several more primates remains unknown.

Mr. Becerra said a disposition hearing on the most recently discovered dogs will be held in a Jackson County courtroom.

Reference:

St. Joseph News-Press