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Steve Shepard: City attorney says Animal Services does not have to name the employees charged with abuse yet.
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Pet shop workers' identities withheld
Identities will be released in court
Web posted Saturday, March 6, 2004
By Jeremy Craig
| Staff Writer
For a second day in a row, Augusta officials withheld Friday the names of employees of a mall pet shop who are being charged by Augusta Animal Services with cruelty to animals.
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The citations that Randy Teasley, the director of Animal Services, said were filed were not at the Richmond County Magistrate Court at the close of business Friday afternoon, officials from that department said.
The citations came after a former employee told authorities of animal abuse and mistreatment at the former Petland store at the Augusta Mall.
The store lost its franchise agreement Monday with Petland Inc. and also is under investigation by the Georgia Department of Agriculture.
Mr. Teasley did not return multiple telephone calls left for him at his office at Animal Services on Friday afternoon.
City Attorney Steve Shepard cited part of Georgia's Open Records Act that he said allows government officials to withhold the release of requested information.
The part of the code he cited excludes "records of law enforcement, prosecution or regulatory agencies in any pending investigation or prosecution of criminal or unlawful activity, other than initial police arrest reports and initial incident reports."
"(The) concern has been substantively and procedurally addressed," Mr. Shepard said.
He said that the people cited are being prosecuted, but that the records won't become public until they reach magistrate court.
Representatives at the pet store declined to comment on the investigations by the state and city Friday.
It is not known whether the three employees are still working at the store.
The owner of the store, Larry Wendt, has been notified to appear at a hearing before agriculture department officials Monday in Atlanta, Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin said.
Reach Jeremy Craig at (706) 823-3409
or jeremy.craig@augustachronicle.com
--From the Saturday, March 6, 2004 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle
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