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Former Fayette County Animal Control Director Arrested for Animal Cruelty- Allowed Animals to Die in Back of Shelter

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Carrie Lynn Carr, Former Fayette County, (W. Viriginia) Animal Control Center Director

The New River Humane Society Board of Directors issued the following statement in response to the arrest of Carrie Lynn Carr.

“The New River Humane Society Board of Directors is deeply disturbed to hear of the arrest of Carrie Carr and the allegations against her.  The current NRHS Board of Directors fully supports any action that protects the animals from any form of neglect or cruelty. 

We would like the public to know the following: 

·        Carrie Carr was not an employee of the New River Humane Society and the Fayette County Animal Control Center (animal shelter) at the time of her arrest.

·        The current Board of Directors of the New River Humane Society in no way supports the abuse or harm of any animals. Carrie Carr’s actions were not instructed by the NRHS Board of Directors nor were the Board of Directors aware of these actions. Our bylaws prevent the employment of any person who is convicted of such acts, and requires the immediate firing of anyone convicted.  

·        The NRHS Board of Directors is instituting procedures that will keep this from ever happening again, and we envision this is a new day for the shelter as we work towards it being more fully a place of safety and care for animals most in need.  We are in the process of hiring a director for the shelter who is committed to the greatest standards for animal care and integrity in management.
Thank you for joining us in the effort to love and care for the animals and public we have the privilege to serve.

New River Humane Society Board of Directors,

Felicia McKinney, Betty Craft, Beth Powers, Kiley Price, Mary Moses, Clare Sulgit, Casey Gioeli

 

Carrie Lynn Carr, 55, the former director of the Fayette County (W. Viriginia) Animal Shelter was arrested and charged Monday, March 21st, with a single felony count of Obtaining Money Under False Pretenses, 3 felony counts of Falsifying Accounts and 3 misdemeanor counts of Cruelty to Animals after a year-long investigation.  She was released on a $20,000 bond.
Carr was the director of the Fayette County Animal Control Center for several years but resigned earlier this month.
The criminal complaint states Carr routinely submitted payroll records indicating she was working approximately 35 hours per week at the Animal Control Center and was paid $12.75 per hours.  An investigation has revealed Carr never arrived at the Center before 2:30-3:00 PM each day and left at 5:30 hen the shelter closed its doors.
The criminal complaint further alleges that Carr awarded herself a pay increase of seventy-five cents ($.75) per hour in January of 2015. Carr allegedly awarded herself this pay increase without the approval of the Board of Directors for the New River Humane Society, the non-profit organization that oversees the operations of the animal control center.
In addition to the allegations of fraud filed against Carr, she was also charged with 3 counts of Animal Cruelty.   She allegedly placed two cats who needed urgent veterinary care in the back of the shelter until they died.  A member of the Board of Directors, upon learning of this, personally transported these animals to a local veterinarian so that they could be humanely euthanize them.
 In March 2016,Carr denied veterinary care to a dog  who had a protruding uterus. A member of the Board of Directors had to step in and take this dog for the veterinary care that she needed.  In another incident a female coonhound that had been housed at the shelter for approximately eight months, and which was in excellent physical condition when she was first brought to the shelter, was found to be severely underweight and in need of veterinary care for open sores on her hips at the time that this animal was placed in a foster home.
“As the Director of the Fayette County Animal Control Center,  Carr’s duty and responsibility to insure that the animals entrusted to her care were treated and cared for in a humane manner,” said Sheriff Kessler.  “According to the investigation into the general operation of the shelter, animals have been routinely kept in pet taxis or small cages for extended periods of time. Kennels originally designed to house a single dog were divided and used to house multiple dogs. Large animals were kept in spaces so small they did not have room to walk, turn around or even lie down to rest.”
 Kessler continues to say food was scattered on the cage floors among dog feces and dogs were forced to drink from a common bucket of water.  No individual water bowls.   Sick animals were often kept in the back of the shelter and left to die.
The shelter’s former Board of Directors exercised very little oversight of the operations.  Members of Carr’s family were on the board.  The new board places partial blame on the old board.  The new board has promised to take on a more hands-on approach in overseeing the operations of the Fayette Animal Control Center.  “The myriad problems at the Fayette County Animal Control Center did not develop overnight and they certainly won’t be fixed overnight,” said Fayette County Prosecuting Attorney Larry Harrah.
The complaint also states there was a “heating crisis” at the shelter in the winter of 2014-15 when the public was asked to donate blankets and portable heaters because the heat went out and the inability to repair the heat source.  The reason for the “heating crisis” was Carrie Carr and other employees failing to check the level of propane in their tank.  It ran out of propane and they failed to order additional propane.  There was nothing wrong with the heating system.  “This is just sheer negligence,” said Sheriff Kessler.
This case remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau.
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Comments

  1. I hope she gets fired by the vet. She doesn’t belong anywhere near animals or money! What a piece of dirt to let animals die! Rot in jail!

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  2. How are these people getting hired?! How do they check on them before they hire them for such an important position?

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  3. I’m reading too many stories of rescue people not helping but hurting animals. Something needs to change. Shelters and rescues need to be held accountable. No one is overseeing them so they can do anything they want. That must change.

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  4. When you can’t trust the people we entrust abandoned animals, there is something very, very wrong. Please check and recheck the people you hire!!

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  5. They need to get rid of most of the employees if they are as bad as Carr and your article says they were involved in these cases too. We can’t trust shelters either. This isn’t right. They’re supposed to protect animals and not abuse them. Send her to jail!

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  6. What disgusting people who worked there and the former board? Shelters are not created equal and need to be held accountable!

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  8. Sounds like they need to get rid of more employees than Carr. Don’t you think? I don’t like rescues. I’m beginning not to like shelters not because of the animals because the people that run them aren’t educated on how to help animals properly. Most are paid poorly as the story said. It needs to change.

    Reply

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