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Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Southard enters not guilty plea
ODESSA — A woman with an address here was arrested and released from Lincoln County Jail on March 2 on a charge of animal cruelty after appearing in Lincoln County Superior Court.
Rebekah Southard, 26, entered a not-guilty plea March 2 on three counts of animal cruelty. She is accused of being criminally negligent toward three dogs to the point of starvation, according to county clerk records.
Through charging documents, Prosecuting Attorney Adam Walser is accusing Southard of criminal negligence and starving the three dogs – named Beau, Duke and Mia, “and as a result caused substantial and unjustifiable physical pain that extended for a period sufficient to cause considerable suffering,” court records show.
The maximum penalty for one count of animal cruelty is five years in prison and a fine of $10,000, according to court documents.
Marshal Les Jimerson was on-duty Dec. 31, at the Odessa Marshal’s Office when he received a call regarding three dogs on the 400 block of South Birch Street.
Jimerson recognized the address due to a recent Child Protection Services case where two small children were removed due to health and safety concerns as dog feces and trash were located throughout the home, according to the police report attached to court documents.
The request for investigation into the Birch Street address came from Erika Haag, a cruelty caseworker for the People of the Ethical Treatment of Animals, according to records. Haag said she heard about the alleged animal cruelty from Southard’s siblings, according to the police report. Haag showed Jimerson photos of the dogs with the dogs’ ribs clearly visible.
One of the siblings gave a statement to Jimerson that said he arrived at Southard’s residence with dog food to try and feed the dogs. Jimerson then contacted Miranda Taylor with the Lincoln County Pet Network and requested assistance in case the dogs needed to be removed, according to records.
Jimerson arrived at the Birch Street address and found the dogs unstable, thin and with their ribs visible. Jimerson reportedly asked Southard if she had dog food. She said she did and retrieved an apparently unopened green bag of dog food. Southard agreed to sign a release form to take the dogs to a veterinarian and was cited for not licensing the dogs, according to the police report.
The dogs were taken to Adams County Pet Rescue in Othello, where they were all found to be diagnosed with emaciation (being abnormally thin or weak), while Mia was also diagnosed with anemia. All three dogs scored a one out of nine on the body condition system used to rate a dog’s physical condition, the worst possible score, according to records.
The veterinarian also found pieces of plastic and wood particles in the dog’s feces, records show.
Southard is set for a readiness hearing May 4 and a jury trial May 26.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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