Investigation Leads to Animal Neglect Arrest

On February 3, 2020, Vickie Gorrell was charged with two counts of Neglect of a Vertebrate Animal.

Photo Courtesy of Prosecutors Office 

(Madison Ind) - After a multi-agency investigation into the allegations of animal neglect, led to the recent arrest of Vickie Gorrell, 59, of Jefferson County.

Gorrell appeared in Circuit Court today for an initial hearing on charges filed by Prosecutor David Sutter.

“The property was found to have multiple dogs and other animals in various degrees of malnourishment and care, at least two of which were impounded immediately for medical treatment. The charges filed today are the result of the preliminary investigation and additional charges may follow as the remainder of these animals are evaluated.”

On January 6, 2020, the Jefferson County Animal Control received a complaint regarding the poor conditions the animals were kept in.  

On January 15, Animal Control Officer Paul Geyman, Indiana Board of Animal Health Field Veterinarian for District 9, Dr. Katelyn Macy, and Matt Siedling, an Animal Specialist with the Indiana Board of Animal Health visited the property to investigate the complaint.

After that initial visit, there were several concerns documented.

Fifty-five dogs were present during the inspection, twelve of which were below normal body conditions, seven of them were in thin body condition and five were in very thin body condition. Two of the five were considered in immediate jeopardy and were impounded by law enforcement.

During the investigation, it was found that clean drinking water was not available for the dogs, with one showing signs of very serious dehydration. Additionally, most of the pens did not have bedding, and the dogs were housed on dirt with excessive feces present. Smaller dogs were housed on plywood floors. There was a dead rat found inside of one of the enclosures, with some of the animals having wounds in need of veterinary attention.

In addition to the dogs found, there were pot-bellied pigs, chickens, a goat, and cats observed on the property. Some of the dogs were puppies and several of the female dogs were pregnant.

The State Vet prepared her written report on January 27, 2020, and met with Detective Yancy Denning with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, ACO Paul Geyman, and the Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office on January 28, 2020.

Based upon the information contained in the report and additional information obtained by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, Detective Denning applied for and received a search warrant for the property.

The search warrant was issued by the Jefferson Superior Court on February 3, 2020.

Once the warrant was received, Jefferson County Animal Control, Jefferson County Sheriff ‘s Department, the Indiana Board of Animal Health, Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Jefferson County Animal Shelter reached out to multiple animal shelters, animal advocacy groups, and volunteers to help with the necessary care and shelter needed for the animals found.

On February 3, 2020, Vickie Gorrell was charged with two counts of Neglect of a Vertebrate Animal.

Gorrell was arrested on February 4, 2020, on these charges. Her initial hearing will be February 5, 2020, in the Jefferson Superior Court.

Jefferson County Prosecutor David Sutter thanks the multiple agencies assisting in this case saying,

“The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and the Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office would like to recognize all of the groups that have assisted in this process, including the Jefferson County Animal Shelter, the Scott County Humane Society, Scott County Animal Control, the Indiana Board of Animal Health, and everyone who has volunteered their time to assist in securing and caring for animals located at the property.”

The pending charges are merely allegations and all suspects are innocent unless or until proven guilty in a court of law.