Napiers found guilty in animal a

Rabbit Advocacy Animal Matters

Napiers found guilty in animal abuse case

February 4, 2015 wtsp.com

Bradenton, Florida -- A husband and wife were both found guilty of animal abuse and other charges Wednesday a year after hundreds of dogs, cats and horses were seized from their animal sanctuary.

Alan Napier was found guilty of scheming to defraud, unlawful solicitation of funds and eight counts of animal cruelty. Sheree Napier was found guilty of scheming to defraud, and eight counts of animal cruelty.

The state warned a six-member jury of what Manatee County sheriff deputies found the day they entered Alan and Sheree Napier's animal sanctuary on Feb. 5, 2014.

"The veterinarian could tell the dog was positive for tapeworms in an external examination because they were coming out of its body," state prosecutor Garrett Franzen said to the jury. Franzen then told the jury of another dog, "You'll will see a dog with an open wound on its body, underweight, and covered in flees -- suffering." The jury first heard from state witness Major Connie Shingledecker. "The dogs were in bad shape," she said.

Shingledecker narrated an hour-long video of what she and deputies found when they entered Napiers' home wearing hazmat suits -- getting emotional at times. Shingledecker recalled the smell as an, "overpowering smell of ammonia, extremely strong, and feces."

The video showed filth, trash, clutter and roach infestations. Deputies found 26 dogs inside the home and multiple animals stacked in wire cages. "There was no water inside bowls in the crates. They were bone dry," Shingledecker said. Dozens of cats were found outside in pens and there were horses. "They were very thin, their hips sticking out," says Shingledecker.

"You'll hear about thousands of dollars on personal purchases spent on cruise vacations," said Franzen. Sentencing is set for March 27.

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