CONTACT INFORMATION �
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Pamela Jean Games-Neely, Prosecuting Attorney for Berkeley County
380 West South Street, Suite 1100
Martinsburg, WV 25401
ph: 304-264-1971; fax: 304-263-6092
email:
pneely@berkeleycountycomm.org,
dhammond@berkeleycountycomm.org
SOURCE:
�
Berkeley County Commission / Prosecuting
Attorney
�
Congress.org / Local Officials / Berkeley
County, West Virginia
�
West Virginia State Bar
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SAMPLE LETTER �
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Dear Prosecuting Attorney for Berkeley County:
I urge rigorous prosecution in the case of Randall Siford, Jr. and Breshannon Devereux, both charged with felony animal cruelty for allegedly
abusing a three-year-old pit bull.
In mid-November, Berkeley County Animal Control and city police found the dog, named Ice, chained in an attic. The skeletal dog's mouth had
apparently been sealed with duct-tape. Ice had gaping facial wounds and obvious signs of cruelty and neglect. Statements made to police
reveal the dog had been battered and lived in pain for weeks.
I respectfully ask the Prosecuting Attorney's Office to seek maximum penalties allowed under West Virginia animal cruelty laws. Please request
a five-year prison sentence for each offender, along with any related fines.
I understand that if Siford and Devereux are not convicted, Ice will go home with them. This is no different than sending an abused child back
to her abusers. Siford and Devereux should not only be denied custody of Ice, but also barred from contact with animals in any context. Both
defendants ought to undergo psychiatric evaluation and therapy.
Animal abuse signals a dangerous predator. Repeat occurrences within 24 hours � such as Ice's repetitive beatings � depict
predatory behavior associated with premeditated violence, according to ASPCA animal behaviorist Randall Lockwood, who regularly consults
with cruelty investigators, law enforcers and mental health professionals.
Findings shared at a 2006 Animal Law Enforcement Academy workshop in San Diego show 40% of persons convicted of child abuse admit they
abused animals and 30% convicted of rape confess to prior animal abuse. "Animal cruelty...is not a harmless venting of emotion in a healthy
individual; this is a warning sign," FBI Supervisory Special Agent Allen Brantley has stated.
Please protect citizens from lawbreakers who display a potential for recurring violence. Furthermore, think about Ice, an innocent who
endured agony at the hands of Randall Siford, Jr. and Breshannon Devereux. The only real justice for Ice is a new, safe and loving home.
Sincerely,