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Humane Society rescues 348 neglected animals; woman, man face charges

Humane Society rescues 348 animals

GOSPORT, Ind. (WISH) — The Owen County Humane Society rescued 348 animals from a Gosport home in July.

News 8 obtained charging documents for Amanda Jane Simpson and Cody Michael Wood, the homeowners. They have each been charged with a felony count of failure to properly dispose of a dead animal, and a misdemeanor count of cruelty to an animal.

The Humane Society reports rescuing 243 animals during the initial search of the property on July 8th before taking an additional 105 animals on July 18.

Charging documents described neglectful conditions and many dead animals found across the property in and outside of cages and animal pens.

The Owen County Humane Society shared the story on Facebook on Monday. Its post said the animal experts assisted the Owen County Sheriff’s Office with the animal seizure at Truesdel Road in Gosport.

The post described the initial seizure day as hot and humid, and said they found most of the “animals without food or water and many deceased animals in cages.”

In total, the Humane Society reports seizing 17 dogs and puppies, 29 ducks, 225 chickens, 21 sheep, nine rabbits, 25 goats, four horses, four pigs, two cows, two bearded dragons, and 10 cats and kittens. One cat had six kittens shortly after being rescued.

The Owen County Humane Society was assisted by the Indiana State Board of Animal Health and multiple animal rescues across central Indiana. The post said, “We are extremely grateful to our rescue partners that showed up and who have helped us in the past. If not for them to help transport and take on the care of the farm animals, the animals wouldn’t have received the immediate medical care that they needed.”

The rescues were listed in legal documents and included A Critter’s Chance in Martinsville; Oinking Acres Farm Rescue and Sanctuary in Brownsburg; Compass Rose in Spencer; Jenkins Forever Farm in Edinburgh; and Winking Reptile Rescue.

“We were able to say yes because of YOUR massive support of our shelter and the love you have for animals and the people who care for them. We have an ask, and it’s a BIG ask,” the post said. “We need to raise $25,000 for the existing vet bills, we also need to pay for ongoing medical care. We will be posting many updates in the days and weeks to come. We have many many happy endings and a few sad ones. We appreciate our rescue family, it’s like none other.”

The post said the Owen County Humane Society needs monetary donations and the following supplies:

  • Good quality wet and dry food for dogs, cats, kittens and puppies.
  • Bleach.
  • Paper towels.
  • Large trash bags.
  • Laundry soap.

Donations can be made on the Owen County Humane Society website, or via Facebook by clicking the donate button on this post. The Humane Society also accepts donations via these methods: Venmo at @owenhumane2014; Paypal at owendogscats@gmail.com; and checks by mail to 2014 W. Romona Road, Spencer IN 47460.

Simpson and Owens have been working their way through the legal system over the past month. A jury trial was scheduled for Jan. 21 with a pretrial conference on Dec. 12.

According to online court records, Simpson posted her $7,500 bond on July 30, and Wood posted his $5,000 bond on July 10.

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