Colquitt woman faces federal charges in dog abandonment case

MOULTRIE, GA. – A Moultrie woman has been released on $2,500 bond after having been arrested and charged with a felony charge of aggravated cruelty to animals.

Earlier this month, Virginia Baker’s dog Charise was found abandoned on Strickland Road. The good samaritan who found her took her home for the night and contacted the Moultrie-Colquitt County Humane Society the next morning. Charise was treated at the Southside Veterinary Clinic for mange, infections, worms and blood loss. She was given a blood transfusion and was acting as though she felt a little better but eventually succumbed to her illnesses.

Drew Durham, executive director of the Moultrie-Colquitt County Humane Society, spoke with South Georgia Television News early Thursday. He cited long-term neglect and malnourishment as the chief reasons the animal’s body was unable to fight off the infections and diseases. He stated that one of the veterinarians who treated Cherise rated the severity of her malnutrition as a four on a scale of one to five. “They just let her get far too gone and then just dumped her,” Durham said.

Like many other shelters in the area, Durham said the Moultrie-Colquitt Humane Society has been at or above capacity all summer, however animals experiencing a medical emergency are never turned away. Treatment does require an owner to surrender the pet, but that is far preferable to abandoning or dumping animals that are unwanted or are in dire need of treatment the owner cannot afford.

In the case of Virginia Baker, an email from concerned citizens led to an investigation by the Humane Society. Though this level of neglect is rare, it does happen…and brings with it some rather life-changing consequences.

If convicted, Baker could face “no less than 1 year and no more than 5 years in prison and/or a $15,000 fine.” That is according to Katrina Johnson, the investigator at the Colquitt County Sheriff’s Department. It was she who reviewed the investigation documentation turned over to the Sheriff’s Office from the Humane Society and found it was more than sufficient for a probable cause warrant.

Baker was arrested later that day. At the time of this writing, the court date was unknown but will be added when more information is available.