Owner of pet store surrenders license

The owner of a pet store at the center of an animal cruelty investigation by local and state authorities has surrendered his state license, officials said Tuesday.

ADVERTISEMENT

Have a thought? Go to the Forums or Chat.

Subscribe  E-mail this story  Write a letter to the Editor  Printer-friendly version  Get news on your PDA  Get e-mail headlines

According to the Georgia Department of Agriculture, Larry Wendt, the owner of the former Petland in the Augusta Mall, voluntarily surrendered his state license to sell pets.

The surrender of the license prevents Mr. Wendt from selling pets in Georgia, according to a news release from the department.

The release states that Mr. Wendt did not re-apply for a new dealer license as required by a consent order with the department signed earlier this month.

The order imposed a $5,000 fine and strict conditions on him in order to retain the state pet dealer license.

Arty Schronce, a spokesman for the department, said he did not have information Tuesday night about who might now be licensed to sell pets in the store.

A woman answering the phone at the store Tuesday afternoon said they were open but refused to answer any questions and hung up.

The investigation by the state and local officials started after a former employee told Richmond County sheriff's deputies that medicine had been withheld by store employees for sick animals, and that an employee beat an animal to death.

Mr. Wendt, 59, along with Dawn Irons, 22, and Donna Stover, 43, were cited by Augusta Animal Services under the city's animal cruelty ordinances, but District Attorney Danny Craig took over the cases last week in order to prosecute them under state law.

Mr. Craig said that he was not free to discuss what kind of charges might come forth from his office's investigation.

Reach Jeremy Craig at (706) 823-3409 or jeremy.craig@augustachronicle.com.

--From the Wednesday, March 31, 2004 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle