This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Please note that email letters were sent directly to Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti from each supporter who signed regarding this case, but he had to recuse himself, so we have also mailed the petition letter and signatures with a cover letter to Assistant District Attorney Dustin P. Click. Animals still need your help.

In the bitter grip of winter, many innocent animal lives were lost because of a negligent guardian who left them to starve and die in Grainger County, Tennessee. Despite overwhelming evidence of cruelty and neglect, authorities refuse to act and are shielding their abuser from accountability. Join us in calling upon the attorney general to intervene and compel the district attorney to prosecute this heartbreaking case.

Just before Christmas, a pitiful young dog escaped his yard in Tennessee and made it to a neighbor, Thomas Hart, who fed him outside and took photos and videos of the dog's poor condition.

A week later, the puppy's “owner,” Katilynn Dalton, a jailer at the Claiborne County Jail, discovered where the pup was. She demanded the poor dog back, and she tied him in her yard.

This was the first indication that something might be wrong on the neighboring property, but for the next month, Hart would periodically whistle over the fence and hear barking in response, so it seemed like things had returned to normal.

On January 24, Hart noticed that the barking had stopped after a snowstorm, and he called the Grainger County Sheriff's Department. He was able to go with Deputy Marty Cruze onto Dalton's property and was absolutely shocked and horrified after finding the lifeless bodies of several animals, including the puppy whom Hart had tried to help.

There was also a second dog, the skeleton of a cat in a humane trap visible from the porch, and a pot-bellied pig, who had been purchased by Dalton's ex-boyfriend, a deputy in another county, as a gift for their daughter. It was noted that the dogs and the pig lay stretched out in death. If they had died from the cold they would have likely been curled up.

It was also noted that there was no food out for the animals and the water in the water dishes was all frozen. The dead animals were all noted to be considerably underweight.

The information about the cat whose remains were found in the trap was documented by the officer's body camera but was left out of the official report. Without a search warrant or the property owner's expressed permission, a law enforcement officer could not enter the residence on the property.

Three days later, after nothing had been done by authorities, Hart called the Sheriff's Department a second time because he could see that Dalton was home, and they would potentially be able to search her home. Deputy Josh Paris responded to the call. The bodies of animals were still lying in her yard. The deputy got a statement from Dalton that she hadn't been able to get to the animals to care for them because of the recent snowstorm. These animals did not die from the cold of the snowstorm, but from prolonged starvation before the storm even hit. Additionally, Dalton had friends nearby that she could have asked for help with caring for the animals.

This case was severely mishandled by authorities. Deputy Paris told Hart that he had to “follow his superiors” and that looking inside Dalton's home was “above his pay grade.” When Hart contacted the district attorney's office, the person he spoke to was none other than Dalton's mother. The district attorney has refused to prosecute the case.

When an In Defense of Animals associate called the district attorney, they also ended up speaking with the offender's mother, who laughed and said, “You go ahead, honey, and see how far you get.”

Aggravated animal cruelty is a Class E felony in Tennessee, and must be acted on by law enforcement, but this case is being blatantly ignored by officials in an attempt to protect their workers from the justice that should be served to them and has been submitted to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Since bringing this case to the attention of authorities, it is apparent that Hart's information was inappropriately shared. He and his family have been repeatedly harassed by people in town, who have been shouting insults at them in public. Screws and nails have been strewn along his driveway, ruining all of his tires. He had been feeding and caring for two cats who were originally from Dalton's property for about a month before she finally reported that he had taken her cats. The law says that if animals are missing for more than three days if they are not identified, whoever is caring for them has the right to keep them. Regardless, local authorities seem to be having no trouble pursuing this issue and giving Hart a hard time, while ignoring the dead animals found on Dalton's property.

Dalton must be psychologically evaluated and not be allowed to care for animals again. Please join us in calling for due diligence by local officials, and justice for the innocent and defenseless animals who were callously starved to death.

Letter sent to decison maker(s) for reference:

Subject: Justice Must be Served for Starved Animals

I am writing to you to urge you to look into an aggravated animal cruelty case in Grainger County, where multiple animals in the care of Katilynn Dalton died of starvation.

Evidence of felony animal cruelty was documented at Dalton’s property by the Grainger County Sheriff’s Department, but the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, where Dalton’s mother works, has declined to prosecute this case. This is a clear conflict of interest, and the mishandling of this case has also led to the harassment of a good Samaritan trying to help the animals.

Just before Christmas, a pitiful young dog escaped his yard in Tennessee and made it to a neighbor, Thomas Hart, who fed him outside and took photos and videos of the dog’s poor condition.

A week later, the puppy’s “owner,” Katilynn Dalton, a jailer at the Claiborne County Jail, discovered where the pup was. She demanded the poor dog back, and she tied him in her yard.

This was the first indication that something might be wrong on the neighboring property, but for the next month, Hart would periodically whistle over the fence and hear barking in response, so it seemed like things had returned to normal.

On January 24, Hart noticed that the barking had stopped after a snowstorm, and he called the Grainger County Sheriff’s Department. He was able to go with Deputy Marty Cruze onto Dalton’s property and was absolutely shocked and horrified after finding the lifeless bodies of several animals, including the puppy whom Hart had tried to help.

There was also a second dog, the skeleton of a cat in a humane trap visible from the porch, and a pot-bellied pig, who had been purchased by Dalton’s ex-boyfriend, a deputy in another county, as a gift for their daughter. The dogs and the pig lay stretched out in death. If they had died from the cold they would have likely been curled up.

There was no food and their water was all frozen. The dead animals were considerably underweight.

The information about the cat whose remains were found in the trap was documented by the officer’s body camera but was left out of the official report. Without a search warrant or the property owner’s expressed permission, a law enforcement officer could not enter the residence on the property.

Three days later, after nothing had been done by authorities, Hart called the Sheriff’s Department a second time because he could see that Dalton was home, and they would potentially be able to search her home. Deputy Josh Paris responded to the call. The bodies of animals were still lying in her yard. The deputy got a statement from Dalton that she hadn’t been able to get to the animals to care for them because of the recent snowstorm. These animals did not die from the cold of the snowstorm, but from prolonged starvation before the storm even hit. Additionally, Dalton had friends nearby that she could have asked for help with caring for the animals.

This case was severely mishandled by authorities. Deputy Paris told Hart that he had to “follow his superiors” and that looking inside Dalton’s home was “above his pay grade.”  When Hart contacted the district attorney’s office, the person he spoke to was none other than Dalton’s mother. The district attorney has refused to prosecute the case. 

Aggravated animal cruelty is a Class E felony in Tennessee, and must be acted on by law enforcement, but this case is being blatantly ignored by officials in an attempt to protect their workers from the justice that should be served to them and has been submitted to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

I hope you will use the weight of your office to see that Dalton is held accountable for the suffering and deaths she caused. She should also be psychologically evaluated and not be allowed to care for animals ever again. I look forward to hearing that you are looking into this case. 

Thank you.

This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Please note that email letters were sent directly to Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti from each supporter who signed regarding this case, but he had to recuse himself, so we have also mailed the petition letter and signatures with a cover letter to Assistant District Attorney Dustin P. Click. Animals still need your help.