Animal cruelty charges levied against two men in Dawson Co.

DAWSONVILLE - Two men are facing charges related to an ongoing animal cruelty investigation in Dawson County.

According to Dawson County Planning and Development Director David McKee, Tyler Jones of Dawsonville and Jim White of Dallas have each been cited with three counts of cruelty to animals in the case, which involves either malnourished or now-deceased horses that are owned by the men.

McKee said the investigation began earlier this month after the Dawson County Marshal's Office, which, along with Animal Control, is overseen by the Planning Department, began hearing complaints of malnourished horses being kept in an area pasture: "We received multiple complaints on March 5th; one of the complaints we did receive was from the Department of Agriculture."

The ensuing investigation was a joint operation between the Marshal's Office and the Department of Agriculture, as McKee noted his department has a history of working with the state agency, saying, "My animal control officers and my marshal's staff do work closely with the Department of Agriculture on any cases involving livestock issues that we have, so we have been working with them since day one of the investigation."

The probe led to the discovery of 3 horses, one of which was already deceased, although McKee added that officials were unsure of the cause of death, saying, "It was an extremely old horse, and we don't know if it died of complications or of old age."

The two remaining horses, both of which were underfed, were transported to another pasture where investigators would be able to ensure their recuperation.

"One was, let's just say, below weight, and they have been moved to a hundred-acre pasture; sufficient grass, sufficient water, and they are on the mend," McKee said.

Jones and White, who were issued county ordinance citations instead of more serious state charges, are currently scheduled to appear in Magistrate Court on March 27th, although McKee said they could avoid the court date if they are able to reach a consent agreement before that time.

Although the investigation is drawing to a close, McKee said officials will continue to monitor the status of the horses until they are deemed to have regained their health.

"I think it's also important to note that the Department of Agriculture, along with my marshal staff, will monitor those two animals that were moved until they are back to sufficient weight," he said.