By Wayne Lee – Sports Editor
Eagle Point residents in the 400 block of Crystal drive found their street blocked off for roughly 12 hours Jan. 6 as local police served a search warrant on a home that had been the subject of complaints dating back two years. What they found was one of the largest cases of animal abuse and neglect the Jackson County has ever seen.
According to Eagle Point Police Chief Jim Hamilton, the investigation began two years earlier as a code enforcement issue after neighbors’ complaints of noise and foul odors. “We were addressing it from an administrative standpoint,” Hamilton explained. “We had to build the case slowly as we tried to work with the owner and it really got bad over the past 16 months.”
He compared it to a drug investigation where you have a good idea of what is going on inside a house but it’s all speculation without someone on the inside to actually witness a sale – or in this instance the neglect. “The evidence we had was all circumstantial because the windows were covered, they never let the dogs out and they refused to let us inside. We had to build a criminal case in order to get a warrant,”
When they finally got the warrant, what they found was, “as far as numbers this is one of the biggest cases I have seen in my career,” said Hamilton. “I didn’t know what we were dealing with until I cracked that door open. We didn’t know if it was five dogs or 30.”
What they found were not only 30 dead dogs in a freezer but 54 living dogs in varying stages of deteriorating health from puppies to older dogs including a pregnant mother. Resident Jane Dene Tepper, 74, was arrested and booked in the county jail. An unidentified male, who initially refused to come out of the house, was escorted out of the home but not charged.
Tepper, however, has been formally charged with one count of Aggravated Animal Abuse in the 1st Degree, 29 counts of Felony Animal Neglect in the 1st Degree and 58 counts of Felony Animal Neglect in the 2nd Degree. She is being held on a $100,000 bond.
As for the surviving dogs, all of which are either full-bred or mixed breed Schipperke (skipper-key), the owner has thus far only agreed to release 11 dogs, nine puppies, one adult and the pregnant, soon-to-be-mother to a volunteer group called Midwest Schipperke Rescue which is currently placing the dogs in new homes.
Jackson County Animal Control was able to take in the remaining dogs thanks in part to recent pick-ups of animals by their owners which created additional space. Also, since the dogs all grew up together, they are able to accommodate more dogs per kennel without incident.
The house itself has been declared unlivable and those entering the home required hazmat-like protection and respirators due to the excrement found on the floors throughout the house.
Hamilton thanked the various agencies that responded to the incident including Jackson County Animal Control, Jackson County Mental Health, Mercy Flights, Rogue Valley Emergency Veterinary Hospital, led by Dr. Sam Lewis and his staff, and veterinarian Dr. Michaela Brubaker. “I was impressed to see how hard everyone worked on this,” said Hamilton.
Update: Of the released dogs all but one puppy have been placed in new, loving homes in Oregon, Washington and California. The remaining puppy needs a bit more socialization before he can be placed. The pregnant female (Sweet Pea) gave birth to seven puppies and they are all still in foster care with Midwest Schipperke Rescue.
