Convicted of animal cruelty in New York, now living in FL
Woman charged with child endangerment, criminal nuisance
June 26, 2007
A Granville woman who operates an animal rescue organization was arrested Tuesday and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and criminal nuisance.
State Police received a complaint about two Rottweiler dogs harassing horses at a nearby farm and riding stable. During the investigation, police learned that Gabrielle D'Amour, 33, who operates Peaceable Kingdom Animal Rescue LTD, was caring for 25 dogs and 25 cats inside her home on Route 22.
Police said the charges are based on the living conditions at her home where she lives with her two children.
D'Amour was issued appearance tickets to appear in the Town of Hebron Court on July 11.
Four are charged in animal cruelty case at Hebron shelter
Oct 4, 2011
HEBRON -- Four people were charged Monday with animal cruelty for their roles in the operation of an animal shelter raided by police and the SPCA last month.
Gabrielle S. D'Amour, 37, and her husband, Christian W. Goldner, 50, each face 54 misdemeanor counts in connection with the conditions of 68 dogs and cats taken from their 7491 Route 22, Hebron home on Sept. 21, according to Washington County Sheriff's Deputy Michael McWhorter.
The couple operates Peaceable Kingdom Animal Rescue from the home.
Two Vermont residents who assist them, Michael J. Lawyer, 40, and Lynn E. Lawyer, 39, both of North Bennington. Vt., were charged with a single count each of animal cruelty.
The charges against them pertain to a dog they were caring for that wound up on the property of a neighbor of D'Amour's, whose complaint prompted police and SPCA of Upstate New York to go to the home to check on the animals.
All four were released pending prosecution in Hebron Town Court.
McWhorter said the animals were found to be emaciated, dehydrated and with numerous medical problems that did not appear to have been treated, including mange, eye infections, dental problems and diarrhea.
The home was ordered closed by the Washington County Code Enforcement Office, pending a cleanup.
"The conditions were extremely unsanitary," McWhorter said.
Numerous dogs and cats were allowed to remain there as the house is cleaned up. McWhorter said the health of those animals did not seem as poor as that of the animals that were turned over.
D'Amour agreed to surrender the 68 animals to the SPCA of Upstate New York, and McWhorter said he had not heard that any had died or been euthanized.
McWhorter said the police investigation was continuing and more charges are possible.
One of the aspects of the investigation that remain open is D'Amour's past claims that Peaceable Kingdom was a registered nonprofit organization.
The organization's page on the social networking website Facebook had up until several months ago included a claim that it was a "501c(3)" nonprofit, referring to the section of the Internal Revenue Code that covers nonprofits.
But a search of the Internal Revenue Service's website shows Peaceable Kingdom is not registered under 501c(3).
"We would like to talk to people who adopted animals from Peaceable Kingdom or donated to them to understand what they were told," McWhorter said. "There's a lot to this case that we're still looking into."
The organization's Facebook page also listed a Route 22, North Granville address until a day or two after the police and SPCA visit to the home.
Anyone with information in the case was asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 747-4623.
D'Amour was also prosecuted in April 2007, after State Police found 50 dogs and cats and what they called "very unsanitary conditions" at her home, leading to her arrest on misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child and criminal nuisance for allowing her children to live there.
The charges were ultimately dropped with an agreement that she not operate the shelter from her home for at least a year.
Any children who live in the home are now older than 17, McWhorter said.
D'Amour, contacted for comment Tuesday, said, "My only comment is that there are still many dogs here available for adoption."
The day of the police raid, she told a reporter that she brings dogs to Peaceable Kingdom that were brought to shelters in other states where they would be euthanized if homes weren't found.
Peaceable Kingdom has been holding adoption clinics at pet stores in the Albany area earlier this year.
Its website lists an adoption clinic planned for Saturday, but also includes references to "trying to close our doors."
Investigation into animal rescue leads to animal cruelty arrests
October 5, 2011
Almost 150 animals were found in deplorable, disgusting conditions, according to SPCA officials. Now, four people have been charged with animal cruelty. Innae Park has the details.
HEBRON, N.Y. -- Appalling conditions can be seen in photos of Peaceable Kingdom Animal Rescue, taken a few weeks ago when dozens of animals were taken from the house in Hebron, which was operating as a shelter. Officials described how there were feces everywhere - in the cages, on the walls of the cages, on the animals themselves and even inside the living quarters of the residents - and maggots could be seen.
Now four people have been charged with animal cruelty as a result of the confiscation in September. Gabrielle D'Amour and Christian Goldner face 54 counts of animal cruelty, and Michael and Lynn Lawyer of North Bennington, Vt., each face one count.
"As a rescue group, this is inexcusable, it's what you're supposed to be doing," said SPCA of Upstate NY Executive Director Cathy Cloutier. Cloutier helped rescue some of the animals that had serious health conditions, which ranged from extreme emaciation to mange.
This isn't the first time D'Amour faced the law. Back in 2007, she was charged with endangering the welfare of a child. In that case, police said they found more than 50 animals inside her home.
Cloutier says she tried to help her years before. "When Gabrielle started years ago, back in 2005, we talked her out of a few things, helped her out with a few things, gave her a few suggestions," said Cloutier. "I believe everything got way out of hand. She had more dogs at her house than we had at our shelter."
In total, Cloutier believes D'Amour and Goldner had 142 dogs and around 18 cats at the home on State Route 22. Many of them remain there, with the promise they will be taken care of. 56 dogs and 12 cats have been relocated to the SPCA, where they are getting treated, given much more space to roam and and have someone to play with.
Unfortunately, the arrival of dozens of animals all at once means the door is closing for other animals in need. The shelter is at overcapacity, and the shelter is forced to turn animals away daily.
"To take in that many dogs, in addition to what we had in the building, it has been burdensome," Cloutier admitted. "And the medical expenses that have been associated with it. So when you're looking for a new friend, SPCA of Upstate NY, give us a call!"
The investigation into Peaceable Kingdom Animal Rescue is ongoing. The Sheriff's Office is looking for anyone with information on any adoptions from the shelter or on donations made to the organization. If you would like to offer your knowledge, call (518) 747-4623.
Shelter owner heads to jail in animal cruelty case
July 10, 2012
http://poststar.com/news/local/article_ac820426-cad0-11e1-9915-001a4bcf887a.html#.T_2WTf63Jd4.mailto
HEBRON -- The former proprietor of a Route 22 animal shelter was sent to Washington County Jail Monday for up to 60 days as part of a plea deal in an animal cruelty case.
The deal required Gabrielle D’Amour to enter a so-called “Alford Plea” to a charge of misdemeanor animal cruelty in connection with neglect of cats and dogs at the shelter, which was based in her two-story farmhouse at 7491 Route 22.
The plea agreement allowed her to avoid admitting wrongdoing, but she acknowledged there is sufficient evidence against her for a conviction. The single charge satisfied 54 misdemeanor animal cruelty counts.
D’Amour, 38, agreed to terminate Peaceable Kingdom, the non-profit corporation that ran the shelter. She also agreed to not open another shelter and pay $2,500 in restitution for damage caused to a neighbor’s property by a donkey that escaped from her shelter.
She also paid $750 to the SPCA of Upstate New York, which cared for the animals she surrendered.
D’Amour was sentenced to a 1-year conditional discharge that will require her to follow the terms of the plea agreement or risk further jail time.
“She said she has no more animals, and she has vacated the property,” Washington County First Assistant District Attorney Katherine Henley said.
D’Amour, her husband and two supporters were charged in the fall, after the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and SPCA of Upstate New York took away an estimated 68 dogs and cats police said were suffering from malnutrition and a number of illnesses. Police said 142 animals were on the property at the time.
The house was condemned because of unsanitary conditions, though D’Amour’s family cleaned it and was allowed back in within a few days.
Misdemeanor animal cruelty charges against D’Amour’s husband, Christian W. Goldner, 50, and two people who assisted D’Amour with the shelter, Michael J. Lawyer, 40, and Lynn E. Lawyer, 39, both of North Bennington. Vt., were adjourned Monday for six months in contemplation of dismissal.
That means if they are not re-arrested in that period, the charges will be dropped.
The prosecution marked the second time D’Amour was charged. She was also prosecuted in 2007 on a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child because of conditions in her home.
In an email exchange earlier this month, D’Amour said she chose to serve a jail term instead of three years on probation because she and her family plan to move from Washington County to Florida.
She would not have been able to move while on probation because Florida does not take interstate probation transfers.
D’Amour said in an email the prosecution doesn’t solve the problem of a lack of animal shelter space in Washington County. She said animals were being dropped off at her shelter for months after the September visit by police and the SPCA.
“Personally, I was wanting the trial, but I had to think of the three other people (relatives) and expense of trial,” she wrote. “There is way too much info that wasn’t heard.”
