By Joe Johnson
Two Athens residents were arrested on animal cruelty charges Monday morning for neglecting dogs that they kept in “deplorable” conditions at their Norwood Circle home, Athens-Clarke County police said.
The arrests of Jamila Kantayini Evans, 42 and Tommy Eugene Lumpkin, 46, stemmed from an investigation that began July 16 when an Athens-Clarke County Animal Control officer reported that several dogs had been seized from the offenders’ residence where they had been housed in a 5 X 6 makeshift pen with a door that was nailed shut, was filled with dog feces and had no clean water and just a little amount of food that had been “tossed on the filthy ground,” according to a police incident report.
The Animal Control officer met with a police officer the day the animals were seized at the Firehall 4 Animal Hospital on Hawthorne Avenue where two of the dogs were being treated.
“Cocoa” and her offspring “Asia” were so emaciated that all their ribs were visible, the report noted, Additionally, the dogs had significant hair loss and were suffering from skin and eye infections, according to the report.
The older dog had damaged teeth and one tooth that was broken at the gumline, “likely from trying to chew the pen from the inside,” the report stated.
The animal control officer confirmed there were chew marks on the pen’s plywood, police said.
The animal control officer had video she took of the dogs’ living conditions.
“The photos document deplorable conditions,” the police report stated.
“It was evident that these animals were not frequently let out and were made to use the bathroom in the same cramped area where they lived,” according to the report.
Evans and Lumpkin were each cited by Animal Control for eight counts of failure to provide identification of inoculation, six counts of providing insufficient shelter, eight counts of failure to provide clean water at all times, seven counts of failure to provide sufficient space and four counts of excessive feces and debris, police said.
Even tough Evans claimed ownership of the dogs, Lumpkin was also cited because he was aware of the animals' plight but did nothing about it, according to police.
The couple surrendered Cocoa and Asia, police said, and the dogs remained at the animal hospital for complete medical examinations and blood work.
On Monday they were both arrested on warrants charging them with misdemeanor cruelty to animals. They were released on $1,000 personal recognizance bonds later that day.