ACT/ Justice For Dogs Killed, St. Bernard Parish

January 24, 2008

ACT/ Justice For Dogs Killed, St. Bernard Parish KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY - PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST AS WRITTEN 1/23/08: Demand Justice In Dog Killings, St. Bernard Parish http://www.KinshipCircle.org PHOTO: A reporter asks: "So how many dogs [have you shot]?Enough," former St. Bernard Parish deputy sheriff Mike Minton replies, as he looks away and laughs... SEE VIDEO: http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/photography/2005/katrina_video/straydogs.html EMAIL kinshipcircle FOR WORD DOC OF A FORMATTED LETTER. Easily modify letter and copy/paste it into an email or print out to fax or mail. =========================================================== FULL CONTACT INFORMATION. Email blocks + sample letter follow =========================================================== The Honorable James D. "Buddy" Caldwell, Attorney General Louisiana Attorney General's Office PHYSICAL: 1885 North 3rd St. * Baton Rouge, LA 70802 MAILING: P.O. Box 94005 * Baton Rouge, LA 70804 ph: 225-326-6100; email: caldwellj

*NOTE: Email above is a "guesstimate," based upon how other dept. emails are configured. So far, it has not bounced in a test... Dana J. Cummings Director of Criminal Division, Louisiana Attorney General's Office ph: 225-326-6200; fax: 225-326-6297 email: cummingsd, CriminalInfo Ms. Linda Southhall, Assistant To The Attorney General fax: 225-326-6797; email: southhalll Administrative Services Division: 225-326-6705; fax: 225-326-6793; AdminInfo Executive Division, John W. Sinquefield, First Assis. Attorney General: 225-326-6705; fax: 225-342-8703; Executive Investigation Division: 225-326-6100,

800-488-2770; fax: 225-326-6197; InvestigationInfo Litigation Division: 225-326-6300, 225-326-6705; fax: 225-326-6490; LitInfo Public Protection Division: 225-326-6438; fax: 225-326-6497; PublicProtectionInfo SOURCE: http://www.ag.state.la.us/Article.aspx?articleID=28 & catID=12 COPY YOUR LETTER TO: The Honorable Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana Office of the Governor P.O. Box 94004 * Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9004 ph: 225-342-7015; fax: 225-342-7099 web mail: http://www.managekeelson.com/websites/la2.gov/index.cfm?md=form & tmp=home & cfmid=297 possible emails for Governor Jindal: constituent, info website: http://www.gov.state.la.us/ Mike Strain DVM, Commissioner of Agriculture Executive (2nd Floor) * P.O. Box 631 * Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0631 225-922-1234; fax: 225-922-1253; info =========================================================== EMAIL BLOCK: All emails found for this alert. =========================================================== caldwellj, cummingsd, CriminalInfo,

southhalll, AdminInfo, Executive, InvestigationInfo, LitInfo, PublicProtectionInfo, constituent, info, info *Kinship Circle cannot guarantee validity of email addresses. During campaigns, recipients may change or disable their email addresses. Emails obtained from government websites may be incorrect. =========================================================== SAMPLE LETTER -- This letter is prepared to inform you about the issue. Try to shorten and personalize your letter before sending. =========================================================== Honorable Officials Of Louisiana: I am dismayed charges have been dropped against former St. Bernard Parish Deputy Sheriff Mike Minton and Sergeant Clifford

"Chip" Englande. These men, who allegedly shot dogs roaming St. Bernard Parish streets after Hurricane Katrina, pose a risk to other animals and humans. I implore the Attorney General's Office to recognize the gravity of animal cruelty crimes and establish a better precedent for prosecuting them. In September 2005, Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist David Leeson and his Dallas Morning News colleague canvassed empty streets in St. Bernard Parish. As they began filming, gunshots were heard. Leeson turned his camera to a small black dog with a bullet wound staggering after a truck inscribed with SBSO (St. Bernard Parish Sheriff) on its sides. As the reporters drove away, they encountered another brown dog writhing and dying in the road. They recorded a vehicle occupied by two armed men, one believed to be Minton. Englande reportedly drove the truck. During a taped interview, Minton later admitted

shooting dogs. "So how many dogs?" one reporter asked. "Enough," Minton said. The dogs documented on Leeson's video were like thousands more displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita -- hungry, disoriented and afraid. I ask you to reconsider their violent death and reopen this case before it expires under the statute of limitations. If new evidence emerges, please prosecute Minton and Englande for aggravated cruelty to animals, a felony in Louisiana. I also call upon the Attorney General's Office to intensify its criminal investigation of pets executed inside three St. Bernard Parish schools in October 2005. Evacuees were ordered to leave their companion animals behind with St. Bernard Parish law enforcers. Many scratched notes on school walls: "There is a very nice dog in here. Please do not shoot her..." Despite pleas for mercy, some 33 dogs (and cats) were shot at close range in the body, limbs,

and neck. Bullet wounds to the body cavity, rather than the head, cause prolonged and agonizing death. Cruelty investigators found shell casings consistent with the type police officers use. I urge you to seek the conviction of anyone involved in this massacre. If convicted, offenders ought to incur maximum incarceration and fines for felony animal abuse. Law enforcers associated with this crime should be removed from active duty and directed to undergo psychological counseling. Certainly, they should be barred from possessing or working with animals. People who abuse animals rarely stop there. In fact, men prosecuted for animal cruelty are five times as likely to be arrested for other violent crimes, according to Prof. Frank Ascione of Utah State University. Animal cruelty is a key trait in the American Psychiatric Association's criterion for conduct disorders. The FBI red flags animal abuse when

profiling homicidal criminals and their potential for recurring violence. The deliberate slaughter of companion animals is merciless and illegal. Moreover, it serves as a yardstick to measure probability of a repeat offense. I look forward to any case updates you can provide. Thank you, =========================================================== SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR THIS LETTER CAMPAIGN =========================================================== VIDEO / Dallas News photojournalist David Leeson http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/photography/2005/katrina_video/straydogs.html Mark Steinway, cruelty investigator and formerly of Pasado’s Safe Haven marksteinway Mimi Hunley, Asst. State Attorney General

of Louisiana Presided over the criminal division and initiated charges in St. Bernard Parish street and school shootings FOR ANIMALS - BEAR WITNESS. SPEAK. DEMAND. ACT. Action Campaigns I Literature I Animal Disaster Aid Networking info or kinshipcircle http://www.KinshipCircle.org * http://www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/ PLEASE MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TO KINSHIP CIRCLE: http://www.kinshipcircle.org/donation/

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