By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Charges filed against two Lewis County employees for their alleged roles in adopting out a dog previously deemed dangerous, to a family unaware of its status, were dismissed today.
Lewis County Animal Shelter Manager Amy Hanson and her supervisor Danette York appeared in Lewis County District Court in Chehalis this morning with their attorneys.
Amy Hanson
The cases were filed by a prosecutor from the Pacific County Prosecutor’s Office.
The women were there for a first appearance and arraignment on two charges, the first a gross misdemeanor related to permitting by criminal negligence a dangerous dog to be outside of a proper enclosure unmuzzled and unrestrained, in violation of Lewis County Code L6.05.090.
The second count was animal at large, a civil infraction.
Judge Wade Samuelson didn’t like the plan the two sides had for settling the case and indicated he didn’t want to be a part of it.
The lawyers asked for a brief recess and when they returned, Pacific County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Eric Weston said he wanted to dismiss the charges without prejudice, meaning they can be re-filed at a later date.
York, director of Lewis County Public Health and Social Services, is represented by attorney Shane O’Rourke. Hanson is represented by Don Blair.
Danette York
The situation came to light earlier this year, when a county civil attorney who had been researching potential changes to the code at the request of the humane officer, the health department and the shelter, to prevent the pit bull mix from being euthanized, subsequently learned the dog was no longer at the shelter.
Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer described what happened as the dog’s name was changed, his true nature was hidden and he was adopted out, because there was a feeling he wasn’t really dangerous. He told county commissioners he would ask an outside prosecutor to evaluate the case.
York is the county employee who had classified Tank as a dangerous dog in an administrative hearing, after he and his mother were involved last summer in killing two neighbor goats and biting a pony’s face. The tan and white dog was impounded and held at the shelter.
The same dog, under the name of Hank, was adopted to a Centralia family in January. The family had the dog until May but handed him over when law enforcement came to retrieve him, and are fighting still to keep him from being euthanized.
Tank, now Hank
The Lewis County Board of Commissioners revised the code in June to allow a chance for a court hearing to save Hank, but Lewis County District Court Judge R.W. Buzzard didn’t buy the presented evidence that it was really the dog’s mother who killed the goats and that the two-year-old canine shows no signs of aggression.
Jann Propp-Estimo, of rural Centralia, her son and grandson have hired a lawyer who is appealing Buzzard’s decision. An order to put the dog down has been put on hold.
This morning in court, as Weston and Blair spoke of what the judge called an informal diversion proposal for the two county employees, Judge Samuelson spoke of the seriousness of the allegations.
Hanson – an exemplary employee of the county for 28 years, according to her attorney – was seated at the defense table.
“I don’t know that she suffered from this, other than she got caught,” Samuelson said. “I’m not going to do this today.”
That’s when the six-minute recess was called, and the deputy prosecutor returned to announce his decision to dismiss the charges.
Propp-Estimo has filed a tort claim with Lewis County, for taking away her family pet.
Her appeal of Judge Buzzard’s decision about Hank’s fate will be heard next week in Grays Harbor County Superior Court.
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For background, read “Centralia dog owner secures a temporary stay on death sentence” from Tuesday June 20, 2017, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
The animal shelter employees are far more knowledgeable about a dogs behavior than a judge sitting behind a desk! Let Hank go home to his family who are responsible pet owners…enough is enough. We will remember this at election time.
Sounds like usual just a bunch of crooked judges, cops, lawyers and county officials. Involving grays harbor and Pacific county which is as bad or worse. One holding the rug up while the other swipe it under.
I think our county has so many more important things it could be dealing with and spending our taxes on. What a fiasco.
We could only hope that the charges would be dropped against Hank also but I am sure that’s way to much to hope for! It seems if you have four legs and a tail your not entitled to the same Justice! Let’s hope judge Edwards does the right thing and end this rollercoaster ride for Hank and the rest of us and free Hank and let him go home to his family!!! I for one will be able to sleep better at night knowing Hank is out of the shelter jail and is back at home where he is safe and loved!!!
This has been one crazy ride especially for Hank and his family and all of us dog lovers watching this case!! I would hope the case against poor Hank would be dismissed also!! But their doesn’t seem to be the same amount of Justice if you have four legged and a tail!!! So this week 9-8 we can only hope Judge Edwards will right this terrible wrong against Hank and free him back to his family!!
What the deputy prosecutor is accomplishing is a police state. they already take children from who ever they want (cps) citing minimal evidence or investigation . why not dogs too? Just a reminder you are not free and big brother is watching and wrongfully imprisoning animals, men, women and children. Hard to convince the public when more than half are involved working for the government cheddar checks in one way or another through school districts, construction contracts, correction officers, health care workers, public power companies, public works, law enforcement, courts, foster care, or other programs. They have awesome benefit packages! Lol screw our rights! Right?!
Hank is suffering because of a mistake the county made not him. Let this dog go home to his loving family for Pete’s sake. Human beings get treated better than this and are released on bail as well as innocent until proven guilty
FREE HANK…SEND HIM HOME
It’s difficult to imagine what the Lewis County prosecutor and judge hope to accomplish here, unless their goal is to make themselves look vindictive and foolish while spending a good deal of taxpayer money to no useful purpose.
Everyone from the eye witness, the goats’ owner, and the animal shelter manager to the county Commissioners, the dog’s adoptive family, animal justice advocates, and thousands of complete strangers who have been following the story are trying to save this dog.
No one with any direct experience of him believes he is anything but gentle and well-behaved. Both Hank, his owner, and the county staff who have endured so much on his behalf are deserving of better treatment than they have received.
Please let this baby go home to his family NOW
Closer to home sweet boy. Hang in there!
they knew this dog was not dangerous at all so they did what they had to save the dog’s life and he has gotten a family and hank needs to be released to go home to his family now
Handled by Pacific County Prosecutor to avoid conflict of interest and yet a Lewis county judge presides? Good ole boy system works again.