Push for Felony Charges in North Carolina Abuse Case
Sometimes persistence pays off in pursuing animal abusers. More than a year ago animal welfare activists and neighbors captured Jack Crosslings McCall of video, beating, choking, kicking and throwing chained dogs in his yard.
This after numerous calls to the local High Point, North Carolina police and animal control. The Humane Society of the United States presented the video to the police who dismissed it as insufficient to sustain animal cruelty charges. The authorities did not even bother to investigate.
Additional video of the continuing abuse was obtained. The police again hesitated on bringing charges and did not do so until the video was released to the media.
McCall was ultimately charged with 3 misdemeanor counts of animal abuse. It was not until mid-March that the dogs were removed from the property. In the meantime McCall has disappeared though neighbors say he is in the area and police have simply failed to arrest him. McCall has a prior conviction for misdemeanor animal cruelty.
You can watch the video that was shown to police. Just click on the video below. If you have any information about where police can find McCall, call 336-883-3224.
Under North Carolina law McCall could be charged with a felony for maliciously cruelly beating or torturing these dogs. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-360 "Torture" or "cruelly" are defined as "any act, omission, or neglect causing or permitting unjustifiable pain, suffering, or death" "Malicious" means "an act committed intentionally and with malice or bad motive".
It's not clear why someone with a prior conviction for animal abuse and who is clearly depicted torturing and cruelly beating dogs over and over would not be charged with felonies.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Call on the prosecutor and local officials to bring felony charges against McCall. If someone abuses or tortures animals, that is a very strong indicator they have been or will be violent towards spouses, children and other people. The mental health field calls this "the link".
And the numbers support this link between animal abuse and domestic violence and other violent crimes.
70% of animal abusers were found in one 20 year study to have then committed other crimes, and 44% went on to harm people. (Arluke, A. & Luke, C. 1997).
In another recent study 99% of animal abusers had convictions for other crimes. (Clarke, J. P. 2002). In that same study it was found 100% of people who committed sexual homicide had abused animals. (Clarke, J. P. 2002). That study also revealed 61.5% of animal abusers had assaulted a human as well. (Clarke, J. P. 2002).
63.3% of inmates in one prison study who were in for violent crimes admitted to abusing animals. This doesn't include the ones who didn't admit it. (Schiff Louw Ascione, 1999)
Police have found animal abuse is a better predictor of whether someone will commit sexual assault than previous convictions for murder or arson. (Clarke, J. P. 2002).
71% of women in a battered women's shelter reported their abuser either abused a household pet or threatened to abuse a pet. (Ascione, 1998)
In another study 88% of child abusers also abused the animals in the home. (Ascione)
Let's stop McCall before he hurts another animal or person.
Doug Henderson - Guilford County District Attorney
(336) 574-4313
FAX (336) 334-3174
Rebecca Smothers - High Point Mayor
(336) 882-0662
becky.smothers@highpointnc.gov
Strib Boynton - High Point City! Manager
(336) 883-3293
FAX (336) 883-3052
strib.boynton@highpointnc.gov
M Christopher Whitley - High Point City Council
(336) 869-0336
chris.whitley@
HORRIFYING!!!
I AM COMPLETLY DISTURBED BY THIS! I COULD NOT EVEN WATCH IT ALL MY FIRST THOUGHT I WANT TO KILL THIS COLD BLOODED DEMON THE OLD SCHOOL MAFIA STYLE, WHERE IS THE PERSON FILMING THIS AND WHY DID'NT HE DO ANYTHING TO STOP THIS AND PEOPLE THAT CAN WALK BYE TO TAKE A GLIMPSE AND GO ABOUT YOUR DAILY LIFE, AND WHY DO YOU NEED TO PETTITION THIS VIDEO FOR SOMEONE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT WHERE IS OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM EVERYBODY OUT THEIR ABUSING ANIMALS ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH KARMA? IT'S GONNA GET YOU!!!!!!!!!AND I HOPE SOMEDAY YOU CROSS MY PATH AND LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO KARMA. THESE NON-HUMAN BACTERIA FUNGUS THINGS THAT RESEMBLE HUMAN-KIND DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE. PEOPLE THAT HARM HELPLESS AND DEFENSELESS ANIMALS,PEOPLE,AND CHILDREN ARE COWARDS WITH DISEASE.AND WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF IT WHEN IT'S WITNESSED NOT WAIT FOR JUSTICE TO PREVAIL IT WILL BE TO LATE FOR THE VICTIM!!
They need to take him out,
They need to take him out, tie him to a tree, and continue to beat him for the rest of his life. This man is sick. I do not understand why these sick people have animals just to torture and abuse them. He should rot in prison.
IT IS TIME WE DO SOMETHING TO PROTECT THE ANIMALS RIGHTS
I could not even watch the video in its entirety; I had to shut it off. This man disgusts me to no end. I wrote to the addresses above and will call whoever I can to help put this man away. I thought we had laws that protect our animals from scum like this.
If everyone reading this story or who watched the video stood up and took a stand maybe we can do something about these horrendous acts of violence towards our animals, not to mention people. The statistics speak for themselves. But if we allow people to get away with this kind of behavior then what is the message we are giving to our children.
It is time to call anyone involved with this case and the media, the more exposure the better. Get some kind of petition started and let’s send it to the proper authorities. This man needs to be put in jail, charged with several felony counts. Of course I could say some other things, but I shall hold my tongue on that, we all know what he is.
Lisa
This piece of garbage needs
This piece of garbage needs to be taken off the street! He probably was training thes dogs for illegal dog fights anyway. Too bad they didn't show his face.....
I could cry
watching a grown man doing that to a dog just made me sick.
why have a pet if you treat it like that
has anyone gotten that dog away from him?
who ever shoot that footage and did nothig is just as bad as the man doing the act
SOMEONE PLEASE SHOOT THIS PIECE OF GARBAGE
I couldn't watch the whole video - I am in tears. The poor dog is just so defenseless. Maybe one day the dog will decide he's had enough and chew this idiot's b***s off!!
Shoot this piece of garbage
I agree, save the state the money of bringing this piece of scum to trial, and just treat him first like he treated his dogs and then shoot him. Better yet, I say, turn him over to a group of rescue folks. Bet he'd never want to look at another animal afterwards, if he managed to survive.
Pam
High Point Dog Cruelty
I cannot believe this! He probably goes back into the house and beats on his wife and kids or yells at the TV set for his team to win!
Jerk, he shouldn't be allowed to see the light of day again. Those poor helpless dogs. They cower in their over turned oil can-shelters frightened to death and waiting for their next encounter with this madman. He is sociopathic and a menace to society, put him away and give me the key! I will throw it into the Pacific Ocean. This is dispicable, horrendous behavior.
I could barely stand to watch it. But I did so I could see it with my own eyes. He even dragged the dog up when some person came by, whhheeeewwww, give me a club and a dark alley!
Diana
Video
I attempted to email these people, and the email was rejected. My guess is they got flooded by angry dog lovers. I hope to God they pay attention.
-S.Hull
www.hullshaven.org
Calling is better than email
I'd say calling is usually more powerful than email anyway. Email is treated as waste in a lot of these offices, they receive so much they don't even know what to do with it all.. A paper letter or phone call is the way to go.
Try email again
I just sent one to each and it seems to have gone through - no bounce back.