Two arrested for conditions at pet shelter in Center

Two arrested for conditions at pet shelter in Center Subhead

Diseased neglected animals transfered to new facility as City closes existing site due to uninhabitable conditions

Annika Bloys Wed, 07/24/2024 - 19:18 Image

• Two arrested for conditions at pet shelter in Center
• Conditions of both the pet center as well as the animals themselves shows the overwhelming horrific conditions at the animal center once operated under contract by the Lindleys.
• Robert Lindley
• Christal Lindley Annika Bloys | The Light and Champion
• Two arrested for conditions at pet shelter in Center
• 14 animals in total were transported away from this facility. Several adopted out by the Center Police Department, others reportedly gone to Happy Tails Adoption in Center for homing. Annika Bloys | The Light and Champion

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The Shelby County Sheriff ’s Office arrested Christal and Robert Lindley on July 17, 2024. Both were charged with Cruelty to a Non-Livestock Animal - a misdemeanor offense.

According to Sheriff Kevin Windham, the arrest was made following receipt of information that a dog kennel operated by the Lindleys under a contract with the City of Center was deemed “unsuitable living conditions.”

According to the Center Police Department, the investigation started after several initial complaints. On Tuesday, July 16, 2024, the Center Police Department assisted with investigating the conditions of the holding facility for stray and abandoned animals.

Lt. Andrew Williams (Center Police Department) said, “Due to the conditions of the temporary holding facility on Tuesday, July 16, the City of Center directed the Center Police Department to suspend activities for animal control capture or impoundment until protocol and procedures for alternative temporary impoundment can be devel- oped.”

An anonymous complaint was made that the animals housed at the shelter were in unsuitable conditions, and two of her dogs were housed by the shelter.

Lt. Andrew Williams said, “On July 8, 2024, Snell returned to the police department to ask about her dogs; she stated that she had heard one of them had passed. She then asked about the fines and was informed that she had to pay the penalties for the still-alive dog. Snell stated that she could not pay the fines and left the police department.

Lt. Williams said, “after being informed of the dog’s passing, officers photographed the holding facility. CPD reported the dogs had fresh water and food, and the kennel spaces were free of feces and urine.”

Lt. Andrew Williams continued, “On July 15, 2024, Snell met City Manager Chad Nehring, and it was recommended that she come to the police department and talk with CPD about the dogs ... On July 17, 2024, Mrs. Snell had one dog returned to her, and she was issued a citation for city ordinance violation 14-2-5, nuisance animal/ animal running at large.”

Snell issued a statement to the Light and Champion. “The authority over Animal Control fully knew the facility’s conditions. I understand that multiple complaints have been expressed in the past. With that said, the city had no business allowing animals to be trapped and taken to those horrendous conditions. The images and footage prove the unacceptable neglect of the dogs. I am thankful for the return of my Chungus and will never recoup the loss of our Walter.” Walter, one of the Snell dogs, had expired while in the care of the holding facility.

“The holding facility is owned by the City of Center and operated by private contractors,” said Lt. Andrew Williams, “It is kept clean to the best of the contractor’s abilities. Fresh food and water are supplied to the dogs. Most animals that are housed at the holding facility are stray dogs, which are a nuisance to the public. These dogs damage private property, and knock over trash cans. The animals that are brought to the holding facility have various skin issues, fleas, and other ailments.”

Center Police Department Assistant Chief Ricky King said, “I’ve had the pleasure of serving this community of over 20 years, and I believe whole heartedly in the community we serve and their citizens. I want to state that Lt. Williams acted within the policies and procedures of the Police Department and the City of Center. He followed through with instructions that he was given.”

The Middleton Road holding facility kennel, located on city property, was closed pending investigation and animal transfer. Per the contract, the Lindleys picked up and placed animals at the facility at the direction of the Center City Police Department to comply with Texas State Law regarding stray animal management, state rabies regulations, and dangerous dogs.

The contract between Christal and Robert Lindley states $10.00 per animal picked up, maintenance at $12.00 an hour for two hours a day and additional hours needed, and $24.00 daily to water, feed, and maintain the holding facility. The contract was approved by both Chief Jim Albers and City Manager Chad Nehring.

Dogs were to be held for ten days unless the owner was issued a citation and fines were not paid, according to Lindley.

In an exclusive interview with the Light and Champion, Lindleys also claimed they were told by City Manager Chad Nehring to stop repairing the facility after replacing the ceiling with plywood so insulation didn’t fall onto the dogs. “After we did that ... Chad threw a fit that we were spending too much money and rejected the bill and the hours that we put in there, and we didn’t get paid for it,” said Robert Lindley.

“Since we started working there, we’re only allowed to spend two hours a day to feed and clean. We were spending a lot of time over there, and we got in trouble ‘cause we were spending the city’s money. Two hours a day is not enough time to feed and clean. So it doesn’t matter that we spend two to four hours in the morning and two to four hours in the evening. We were spending too much money trying to rebuild, too much money on lumber to have a proper ceiling. We stopped everything except for cleaning supplies,” said Christal Lindley.

According to City Manager Chad Nehring, “I did not have any direct contact with the Lindleys in relation to operations. I did have one occasion to meet them when they set a trap and picked up some stray dogs in our neighborhood. That’s the only conversation I’ve ever had with either of them. I didn’t even make the report on it. I have never communicated on any operational matters. That is the responsibility of the Chief (Center Police Department Chief of Police Jim Albers). All invoices are submitted by the Chief Albers, and to my knowledge, none have ever been reviewed or rejected for any reason.”

“To my knowledge, the city manager has never talked to Robert or Christal (Lindley). Any invoice that they have ever submitted comes directly to me, and I sign it without question. Anything they have asked for payment for, I signed and sent it over to (Center) City Hall. As far as I know, they have been paid for everything they asked for. There is no way I have denied them any hours, pay, or anything like that. They have been paid for any submitted invoice,” stated Chief Albers.

Albers also said, “I have never told them their time is limited, how much time they can spend working on the facility or anything like that. However much time it takes, it is what it takes. They were paid a daily fee for the number of dogs, not per-say, but a maintenance fee to maintain the dogs, feed and water them, and take care of the place. It had nothing to do with the hours. It had to do with how many dogs they had to take care of.”

As of Friday, July 19, 2024, the Lindleys were released on bail. According to the Sheriff ’s Office, approximately 14 dogs were scheduled for release to Nicolas’ Pet Haven with the approval of County Attorney John Price. However, Nicolas’ Pet Haven did not follow through with an agreement according to the Center Police Department.

Stephanie Elswick, President of Happy Tails Adoption Center, stated, “Happy Tails is now proudly playing host to the last nine dogs that were in the care of the former city of Center’s dog shelter run by the Lindleys . Although our future home is not completely up and running, we did have the room and volunteers to prep and host the dogs. We can assure y’all that they are all being taken care of in an inside facility. A strict sanitation process is in place to protect the animals from illness.”

Happy Tails Adoption Center took the last nine unadopted dogs. The rest were adopted through the Center Police Department Friday and throughout the past weekend.