By Curtis Johnson for The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON — The Humane Society of the United States has honored a Wayne County prosecutor for his work in an animal cruelty case earlier this year.
The case caused 49 horses, mules and donkeys, along with 40 dogs, to be seized from property in Prichard. Many of the animals have been placed with new owners, although some are still waiting to find a home.
The Humane Society issued its press release this week honoring assistant prosecutor Gary Michels. He received the award Oct. 22 at the Humane Society’s fourth annual awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.
“It is because of Gary Michels’ involvement in the case that a decade of animal suffering on this property came to an end,” Adam Parascandola, the society’s director of animal cruelty issues, said in a prepared release. “The HSUS is proud to have Michels as an ally in the fight against animal cruelty in West Virginia.”
The case concerned neglected animals seized in May from a 1.85-acre piece of land near Gragston Creek in Prichard.
Parascandola told The Herald-Dispatch on Tuesday that 29 of the horses, mules and donkeys were placed with owners in West Virginia and surrounding states. The remaining 20 were taken to a boarding facility in Maryland. Parascandola said all except five of those have been placed in other facilities, including two horses and a mule that were taken to an animal sanctuary in Texas.
The seized dogs were taken care of by the Huntington-Cabell-Wayne Animal Control Shelter. Its director, Anita Asbury, reported Tuesday five of the dogs remain at the animal shelter waiting for a new home. She said eight of the dogs died of parvo, but she said the others were placed with new owners. She said none of the animals were euthanized due to space concerns. Those that died of parvo were puppies and adults, all of whom were judged to be in the worst of health.
The landowner, Gary Belcher, pleaded guilty in June to three counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. He received a $900 fine and was barred from owning other animals for five years.
