Crates were stacked upon crate inside a motor home near Centralia.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Authorities yesterday seized 38 dogs living in filthy conditions inside a motor home with a Centralia man.
Forty-nine-year-old Jimmie R. Jemison was arrested, but not booked into jail because of a medical condition, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
The visit yesterday afternoon to property on the 1600 block of Little Hanaford Road followed a tip at the end of April that Jemison was breeding puppies in unsanitary conditions, according to the sheriff’s office.
Photographs shared by the sheriff’s office show numerous portable kennels, some stacked on top of each other inside the roughly 30-foot long recreational vehicle.
“The animals were sleeping and eating in their own feces,” Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.
Seventeen puppies and 21 adult dogs were taken to the Lewis County Animal Shelter where they are under observation, being treated for dehydration and other ailments, according to Brown. She described them as various types including Boxer, Daschund, Chihuahua, Basset and mixed breed.
Numerous other animals on the property were living in clean cages and spaces and were left behind, including seven dogs, a goat, quail, chickens and about a dozen pet rats, according to the sheriff’s office.
“His brother lives nearby and is going to take care of them,” Brown said.
Lewis County does not require permits or licenses for dog breeders, but an ordinance outlines certain requirements for anyone with more than 10 dogs such as providing enclosures with enough space for each animal to turn about freely, stand, sit and lie down. And the housing must be kept in a sanitary condition, with convenient access to clean food and water.
Brown said they believe Jemison was selling puppies.
The search warrant yesterday was obtained after the county humane officer previously visited Jemison and observed violations of the dog breeding ordinance, according to Brown.
Responders wore protective gear as they did their work beginning about 3 p.m. yesterday. Buckets and garbage cans containing feces were stored outside the motorhome, she said.
Also found were deceased baby possums inside one kennel, according to Brown. She said she didn’t know why Jemison was keeping possums or how they died.
Deputies and personnel with code enforcement from the county health department were joined by the state veterinarian at the scene.
Brown said Jemison has been highly uncooperative during prior visits and ended up getting Tased yesterday, which resulted in one of his own dogs biting him. He was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital but transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle because of what she described as a severe medical condition.
Sheriff Steve Mansfield called it an unfortunate situation all around.
Jemison faces possible charges of second-degree animal cruelty.
Lewis County Code Enforcement Supervisor Bill Teitzel in a prepared statement said sometimes investigations appear to outsiders take too long but they have to follow the law, and Jemison was not cooperative.
“I am proud of the work my staff did in remaining tenacious and rescuing these animals so that they have a better chance in life,” Teitzel stated.
Humane officers, code enforcement personnel and deputies emptied a recreational vehicle of 17 puppies and 21 adult dogs.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
I have now adopted one of these dogs and my husband and I can attest to the INTENSE abuse our little dude must have suffered at the hands of this cruel man. It will take a long time and lots of love to heal our beautiful new family member.
All this just makes me shake my head in UTTER DISGUST!!!
You should not be able to get away with any thing like this, the authorities should have been there way sooner!
Wanted to send a message to Chuck. If you truly cared about this man you would help him get help for his sickness. And yes he has a sickness. You are an enabler. You are helping this man who has diabetes, live in conditions that no dog let alone a human should live in. You also confirm that you help him sell puppies on craigslist which is now proof for any agency to look at any assistance he receives. Good going Chuck. Your a real gem of a friend.
Seriously Chuck, think about Jim and not yourself for a change. You are doing this just to keep yourself in the spot light and in essence you are hurting Jim with your support.
One has to wonder if the SSI would be compromised if they knew he was selling puppies? Also does this guy receive food stamps and reports his puppy sales? Maybe the state should look into his affairs a bit deeper.
And to Chuck, why on earth would you think this is acceptable? As if the photos aren’t enough proof, there are reports for all kinds of people including his own family that point to him being a hoarder. Do you seriously support puppy mills?
All I gotta say is WOW! Unbelievable.
This comment is aimed at Chuck. I have known Jimmy for over forty years. I’ve been married to his sister since 1973. Jimmy only receives SSI for income. Yet he has 40 dogs, goat, chickens etc?? Jimmy in numerous occasions in the past has abused and mistreated the animals in his care. I witnessed him taking rats by the tail and swinging them hard into a post and killing them and laughing. He took his pigeons and thought it was fun to grab them by the neck and snap their neck. He lived at north river in an old store building in 2007 when he was booted off the little Hannaford property. This place was full of poop all over the floor and on the couch where he slept. It stunk so bad you would puke looking at it. Question for you Chuck: Did you and jimmy take some dogs before the police arrived and clean them up for pictures? Did you throw some straw down to make it look cleaner? His brother Bill knows what happen. You say Jimmy is Honest? I disagree with you. His dealings with me were very dishonest. Case in point: The dog his sister and I received from him died within a week of parvo. You said there was never an animal that had died of sickness? Also from Katu.com news: poor dog had one eye hanging out of socket when removed from Centralia property. That’s very abusive. A Quote from: Patty Kaija a previous commenter on may 2nd: irresponsibly breeding and selling animals in Lewis County. I agree I seen him selling at Wal-Mart until they kicked him off. She also said: Despicable breeder and slime ball, well put Patty. I was told by jimmy’s brother that he was trying to get a clam shovel and that’s why he was tazed. I wasn’t there and neither were you chuck. Jimmy told me once that when his dog bit someone that his dog was a pretty good judge of character. Well jimmy your dog bit you severely, I’ll agree that your dog is a very good judge of your character.
The 10 second row is usually used in Supreme Court appeal cases in which there is a question raised about the a warrant to search its states that when the police knock on your door to serve a warrant. They must give you 10 seconds to acknowledge they are there before knocking the door down if you do not answer them… There are a lot of cases that get thrown out because the law does not follow this rule sometime… Now you question about are the officers obligated to investigate animal cruelty? In this County it is your social standing that will get you a animal cruelty ticket.. I know because two years ago I reported animal cruelty in which the animals were living in pins that for three weeks had not been cleaned and the animal manure was so high that the animals were backing up to the france to s..t through in… We’re talking 5 to 6 adults and three of four small ones in an area approximate 11feet 10 And the paddocks had pilesl15 to 20 feet long and taller than alpacas that were there and the mud was 5/6 Deep.. And these people never received a ticket and I still have the photographs of what I’m talking about.. It is really just a matter of who you know that determines justice in this county
WOW!
I just don’t know where to begin.
10 second rule? I’ve heard that for glazed donuts, but never for anything to do with making an arrest or serving a warrant. If you can, I’d like to read where that one came from. I could not find it under any RCW or WAC.
“So when the cops came out there the first time, with no justification,…” When someone complained about the animals, doesn’t that make the police obligated to investigate further? What about “A Lewis County animal control officer visited Jemison’s property previously and saw a number of violations of the Lewis County breeding ordinance, which gave police probable cause, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office.”? Bogus too?
“Brown said the animals outside the RV were not taken as they appeared to be in good health and a relative of Jemison will take care of them while Jemison is in the hospital.” So not all the dogs were taken, just the ones inside the filthy home. You make it sound like everything was taken away. What a handy fact to omit.
“When you look at those pictures of Jim’s dogs on kingchuck.com, you see that they all have smooth coats, and they’re not skinny or emaciated.” Nice try at diversion, but nobody ever said they were undernourished. “We’re full,” she said. Most of the dogs are well-fed, but the concern is parasites, she said. So much for your posting pictures of well fed dogs. Well fed was not the issue. Living inside a house deep in fecal material and running a puppy mill seems to be.
“That’s not to say they won’t because they have to destroy the evidence.”
You really believe the animal shelter will try to kill your so called healthy animals rather than do whatever they can to either place them in a good home, or return them once their owner gets things cleaned up? That’s just absurd!!
““As he was on his way out the door, the cops Tazed him and jerked him out of the door and threw him into the mud like an animal,” Haunreiter said, who was not at the property at the time the police arrested him.”” You keep leaving this part out. You WERE NOT THERE. And, Neither was I. I do have a neighbor who said her scanner had the police out there two to three hours BEFORE he was in custody. If that’s true, there was no rushing him with a taser as soon as they pulled up like your saying. Could it be possible the Gentleman may not be in a good frame of mind and has exaggerated the story a bit?
“But I’m sure they made their wives and children proud.” Nothing like a personal attack against people who serve to help boost your own ego. Between trying to make a hero out of Theresa Hutton and now publicly smearing the police and animal volunteers I’d say you’ve about used up any credibility you may have had. Debate the facts of the case but dang Guy, why bring wives and children into it? That’s just trash, but I guess it makes you feel good to kick them around!
What I hope happens very soon, is someone in the media requests the radio recordings from the dispatch center so we can all see exactly what happened and over how much time. I’m betting between the radio recordings and the state veterinarian report along with any neighbors or animal shelter employees things will look much different than how you’re attempting to smear it. If not, then I’ll agree someone needs to be held accountable for this action.
I guess some people always look for the worst in others, epically when it comes to police. I’m trying to help there but it’s hard to undo years of paranoia.
Putting our disagreement aside for a moment:
The real sad part of this whole story is Jim had not one friend who was willing to stop by and help him clean up and get things straightened out. Had he friends who cared (besides the ones now on the keyboards) the animals would have been in clean and well taken care of facilities. Any complaints from a neighbor or EMS worker would have been investigated and quickly dismissed.
Chuck, NOTHING that you are saying passes the smell test. It all sounds like a great spin to make your friend sound like an alright guy. He may be an alright guy but he needs to get out of the dog breeding business or at least scale back to a manageable amount of animals. No, the place didn’t “just get filthy in 8 days” and if the dogs killed the rats, possums or other vermin its Jims responsibility as a breeder and owner to remove the dead carcasses ASAP, period. No amount of excuse making about mental issues or fear of police or whatever changes the facts that animals were found in less that acceptable living conditions. Lastly, everyone talks crap about the cops when they are forced to tazer someone, I have known a few cops over the years, most are decent people just doing a job. Simple rule to live by when dealing with the police, do exactly as they ask, period, you will have a lot less trouble that way.
They pulled into Jim’s driveway and called him on the phone. Immediately after he opened the door, they tazed him and threw him in the mud and handcuffed him and left him lying there in the mud like an animal until the ambulance came. But I’m sure they made their wives and children proud.
It sounds to me that the lewis county sheriff s did not fallow the 10sec rule.. they most identifie them self as law enforcement…. then give at last 10 sec for you to acknowledge you know they are there..and with knowledge of a medical condition. He needs a good Lawer .
To Free Air:
Thanks for making my case.
See, in Jim’s mind, the cops were going to come in and steal his dogs and throw him in jail. Jim will not deny he has mental issues. Obviously, Jim doesn’t look at the world the way you and I do. So when the cops came out there the first time, with no justification, he was certain that he would get the same treatment as Hutton.
Also, you stated that 40 of Hutton’s dogs had to be euthanized because of some disease. But so far, that hasn’t happened with Jim’s dogs. That’s not to say they won’t because they have to destroy the evidence. That’s why we took pictures of Jim’s dogs. When you look at those pictures of Jim’s dogs on kingchuck.com, you see that they all have smooth coats, and they’re not skinny or emaciated.
See, in Hutton’s case, we got only one side of the story. I wasn’t there. I don’t know anything about the case. I’m not saying there is another side of the story. All we know is what was in The Chronicle. And The Chronicle did a pretty good job of smearing Jim this time. I do know there is another side of this case.
The Jim Jemison I know is an honest man with a big heart. He may not live like you and I do, but I know he didn’t abuse his dogs. They were his family. But there will always be people like you who want to look for the worst in others. I can’t do anything about that.
If your talking about the Convicted Child Abuser, Theresa A. Hutton???
Before we make her a doggie martyr, how about a quick memory refresher.
From one of the 2007 stories on Ms. Hutton:
A felony charge of second-degree criminal mistreatment was filed in Lewis County Superior Court against Theresa A. Hutton, who faces a potential maximum penalty of five years in prison.
In charging documents, prosecutors say the abuse and neglect was severe enough that Hutton’s oldest daughter stopped growing.
Instead of being anywhere near 5-feet tall and 115 pounds like the average female of her age, the child was 3-feet 6-inches tall and about 60 pounds when she was taken into protective custody by the sheriff’s office a year ago.
According to charging documents, a Seattle doctor from Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center examined the girl in July of last year, and said he believed she suffered from psychosocial dwarfing, a condition in which neuroendocrine changes and severe growth failure result from emotional neglect and physical abuse.Her clothing was dirty and ragged. She got so little food at home, she hoarded it from lunch at school and stashed it in the woods.
She said she wasn’t allowed inside her house until after dark, except sometimes in the winter.
And if she didn’t finish her chores, the girls’ mother might punish her by making her stand for hours, with her knees locked straight and her fingers touching her toes. Sometimes all night long, the girl told the detective.
Those are the allegations about a Toledo-area child, who prosecutors say was mistreated by her mother for six and half years until she ran away last summer at age 12.
Hutton, 34, is the same woman whose zeal for taking in stray animals is so great, and resources so few, authorities last year seized scores animals they described as sick, dirty, and living in unsanitary conditions on her property. She found herself charged with animal cruelty based on the condition in which deputies found two horses. County authorities had to euthanize more than 40 dogs when she had an outbreak of a highly contagious and deadly disease called canine brucellosis in May 2007. Hutton also breeds small dogs to earn money, and county authorities describe her farm as a puppy mill.
Your comment “He saw what happened to Theresa Hutton back in 2007 when the county (meaning police) went out there and stole her dogs and threw her in prison.” is way over the top here. She’s no victim. She’s an abuser of a child and animals.
If this is the type of person Jim emphasizes with, you’ll get no sympathy regarding this arrest from me.
Puppy Mills R in business due to everyone wanting a new puppy and over looking the fact that there are thousands of good adult dogs that need to be adopted. If you are seeking a new pet give the local shelter a chance before you get a new puppy. After all puppies become adult dogs and a adoption dog is just as good if not better for your needs. Just a thought to combat these puppy mills. If there is no need for the puppies then they will go out of business.
To Free Air:
I am saying that up until the cops first went over there to hassle Jim, there wasn’t any dog poop on the floor and the dogs had plenty of room to run. But after the cops went out there the first time, he just lost it. He couldn’t function. He saw what happened to Theresa Hutton back in 2007 when the county went out there and stole her dogs and threw her in prison. He was afraid to leave his motorhome, except to feed his dogs in the other buildings. The morning of the raid, he snuck up to Fred Meyers in Tumwater at six in the morning to buy seven bags of dog food. He wanted to be there if the cops came to try to keep his dogs from getting so upset.
If Jim hadn’t been taking care of his dogs previously to when the cops first went out there, wouldn’t there have been a lot more dog poop?
Jim won’t deny that he has mental problems. So I guess it makes you feel good to kick him around.
As far as all the garbage goes, Jim couldn’t do much about that because the diabetes in his legs was so bad. He was going to get a voucher from the dump. Somebody helped him put the sideboards on his pickup. He just needed somebody to help him load it all up. He knew there would be more than one load. But he was working on it.
As far as the dead rats and opossums, the dogs killed those.
I’m sorry but the absolute filth those poor dogs were living in did not happen in the last 9 days after becoming depressed. That motorhome absolutely is not suitable for human or animals to live caged or not. No wonder he is sick. The law could not stage that. Give me a break.
So up to the day he was “hassled” by the police, there was no fecal material in the trailer, the dogs all had plenty of room to run and all those layers of trash/garbage, puppies/rats/opposums living in filth never existed?
That’s a tough one to believe.
The question for Dolly Jones is, How does she know those dogs were suffering?
Go to my web site and try to find a dog that was not in good health.
http: //www .kingchuck. com
For the most part, the only time those dogs were penned up was when Jim went to town. And up until the time that the cops began hassling him, they were living in clean surroundings. Jim just lost it when the cops began hassling him.
Sorry Chuck, there is a fundamental difference of opinion here about the responsibilities of pet ownership. I am sorry that your freind is ill, but that does NOT excuse or mitigate the conditions these poor animals have lived in, nor his negligence in “backyard breeding.” Leaving dogs in a car while attending a movie? That is irresponsible.
You are entitled to your opinion, and can stand by your friend, but other people have witnessed the poor conditions and suffering. The law does provide ways to protect animals from abuse.
As for animal rights vs property rights….animals are alive and sentient, property is not. People are entitled to property and privacy, but not when lives are at stake, even if those lives are animals.
How about not talking “rights”, but talking instead about what is right and moral. It is not right to allow animals to suffer while blathering on…I’m glad action has been taken. Even if he did not do it with malicious intent, ignorance is no excuse for keeping animals in deplorable conditions.
I have posted the pictures of Jim’s dogs on my web site:
http :/ /www .kingchuck. com
The Raid On Jim Jemison
Believe me, if I didn’t really think Jim is an honest man with a big heart, I wouldn’t be sticking my neck out like this. Jim has physical and mental health issues, but I know he treated his dogs well. I was actually out there.
Hmm …. animal rights vs property rights? Human compassion or love for pets? Jim seems to be in serious financial and medical trouble. Perhaps he should have bred giant guard dogs instead. A large pack of Dobermans, for example, and a strong tall fence for containment might have caused some hesitation. Then again, more likely a helicopter! I hope I’m able to meet Jim, perhaps offer some help or donation he could use to improve conditions for himself and his canine family. I personally believe Patty should maybe see if she has some change to spare.
Hmm, Two very different perspectives.
From one side of the coin we have a almost defenseless Gentleman who’s only goal was to place animals into good homes and was abused by police for doing good in the world. Somehow the police turned what was a clean animal friendly facility into a sewer of animal feces to make it look like his animals were not being taken care of, perhaps part of a vast world conspiracy to eliminate this one person’s good deeds.
The other side says his animals were living in filthy conditions, breeding dogs way beyond his ability to care for them and was belligerent toward deputies. Rather than go hands on or use striking forces they tased him to bring him into compliance with the least amount of force necessary.
There is however one way to help assess which side is the most accurate; the State Veterinarian. I’m sure that he/she will have to write a report that will document the condition of the animals.
From all the pictures and the story on Komo News http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Puppies–adult-dogs-seized-in-Centralia-257752431.html it’s looking like the Vet’s Report will not support the “Innocent Victim” claim.
Add a radio want-to-be personality to the mix and any credibility is all but gone.
I talked to Jim on the phone. He’s up at Harbor View in Seattle.
He said he didn’t know the cops were there until they called him on the phone from his driveway.
Normally, his dogs run free inside his motor home. He also lets them outside when he goes outside. The only time he pens them up is when he’s not home. When he found out the cops were there, he put them in their dog crates. I have seen it myself. Those dog crates are their personal real estate. When he tells them to get into their crates, they jump right in.
As he was on his way out the door, the cops tazed him and jerked him out of the door and threw him into the mud like an animal. He had workboots on but they fell off when the cops dragged him out of the motor home. They never warned him that they were going to taze him.
They handcuffed him and left him in the mud for about ten minutes before the ambulance came. While he was laying there, one of his dogs got excited and attacked him because the cops were attacking him. After they got the dog off of him, they still left him lying there in the mud like an animal.
Then they walked him out to the ambulance with no shoes on. One sheriff went with him inside the ambulance.
They wrote him a misdemeanor ticket for something.
Now he is in Harbor View for the dog bite and his diabetes and might lose his leg.
Jim hadn’t cleaned up after his dogs because he was in severe mental depression for the last nine days – ever since the cops went out there the first time. He was scared to death that the cops would kill him. He hadn’t slept for nine days. He never left his motor home, except to feed the animals that were in the other outbuildings. He didn’t even turn his TV up so he could hear the cops when they came. He finally left at 6 o’clock the morning of the raid to buy seven bags of dog food from Fred Meyers in Tumwater. He was back by 8:15 a.m. to be with his dogs in case the cops came. He didn’t want them to be all upset.
Jim says that the dogs could not have been dehydrated because there is water everywhere on the property and he keeps water inside for them. He says he always had feed in front of them. Also, he had just purchased a new motor home for himself and the dogs.
I know the garbage was an issue to him, but he couldn’t take care of it by himself because of the diabetes in his legs. He told me that he was going to get one of those vouchers from the dump. Somebody helped him put the sideboards on his pickup to haul the garbage. It was just a matter of getting somebody out there to help him load it up.
But the bottom line is that none of this had to happen. They didn’t have probable cause to go onto Jim’s property in the first place. The EMT called the cops because Jim’s dogs were left unattended, but Jim was in the hospital for only about seven hours. Plus, he waited to go the hospital until midnight because that was the time the dogs were sleeping.
The dogs the county took are unreplaceable. They have been specially bred for colors.
I wish people like Patty Kaija would do their homework before they go shooting their mouths off.
On April 28th, I talked to Sargent Stull from the sheriff’s office for about a half hour on the phone.
He wanted me to help bring this thing with Jim Jemison to a peaceful resolution.
He said as it stands now, he could get a warrant for Jim’s arrest for refusing to allow them to look at his dogs. He said he had a search warrant.
I told him that he couldn’t convert a fishing expedition into a search warrant.
Here’s how it all started.
Jim has severe diabetes. He waited until midnight to go to the hospital because that’s when his dogs were sleeping. He met the ambulance out on the road. But the EMT called the cops because Jim left his dogs unattended. But Jim was home by 7 o’clock that morning.
So then animal control came out with the sheriff’s and wanted to see Jim’s dogs. It appeared to be a fishing expedition to Jim, so he wouldn’t let them see his dogs. From what Jim was telling me, when the cops were out there, he let a bunch of his dogs out of his motor home and they went on about their business, unafraid of the cops. But they growled at his brother because they know he doesn’t like Jim.
So apparently, the animal control officer claims that Jim’s dogs were sickly, so they got a warrant to take Jim’s dogs to the vet. So when they went back out there, Jim threatened to commit suicide by slitting his wrist, so they left. Now they’re saying that since he didn’t let them back out there the second time, they can arrest him. Stull claimed that Jim threatened them with a shovel.
I told Stull that he didn’t convince me that they had probable cause in the first place and they can’t convert a fishing expedition into a search warrant. I flat told him not to do it.
So he gave me the case number – 14C3922 – and told me that if somebody would release their report to me, I could read it and see if they really had some kind of probable cause. If I thought they had some kind of probable cause, I would talk Jim into letting them take his dogs to a vet for tests.
I’ve seen Jim’s dogs. The same dogs the MT and the cops saw. I take pictures of his puppies for Craig’s List. I know that when they’re sick, he takes them to the vet. They live in the same small motorhome with him. He treats them like his own children. I know that. Even when I’m talking to him on the phone, he’s talking to them like they were his children.
Now, you have to keep in mind that ever since that deal with Theresa Hutton back in 2007, animal control has been after him. One time he got a $700? ticket for leaving his dogs in the car while he was in a movie over in the Sears Mall. He beat that.
I honestly don’t think they had probable cause to go onto Jim’s property. The cops seem to think that since an EMT thinks his dogs are being abused and an animal control officer has a vendetta against him, that’s grounds for taking Jim’s dogs.
As I told the cop, if somebody who actually bought one of Jim’s dogs and found out it was sick and took it to a vet who agreed that it was sick reported to them, then we would have concrete evidence to go on. As I said, Jim “rehomes” lots of dogs on Craig’s List and nobody has ever claimed that they were given a sick dog. I know that.
The bottom line is that the cops never wanted to resolve the issue peacefully. They wanted to go in there like a bunch of storm troopers and get on the front page of The Chronicle so people like Patty Kaija can run her mouth about something she knows absolutely nothing about.
This scum bag would sale on craigslist and go to the poultry auction all the time..had for many years..
This man has been irresponsibly breeding & selling animals in Lewis County & up & down I-5 for over 10 years. He has associated with other puppy mill breeders who have been charged but he has always managed to slither out of any charges. His animals have been taken but he always manages to get them back. The last time his dogs were taken, he had small dogs living in little bird cages. Lewis County Animal Shelter cared for the dogs, got them healthy & then had to give them back. I’m just sad that they only tased him once. It takes a long time to build a case against a despicable breeder such as this. I hope that by making sure they followed the law, got all their warrants & evidence perfect & executed the search and seizure properly they can nail this slimeball to the wall this time. And that these animals really do get a better chance in life. Even if he gets thrown in jail he will be kept in far better conditions & treated more humanely than he ever treated any animal.