ACKERMAN, Miss. (Dec. 27, 2022) — In Defense of Animals, the international animal protection organization operating Hope Animal Sanctuary and Justice for Animals Campaign in Mississippi, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department, and citizens are stunned that 5th District Circuit Court Judge Joseph H. Loper Jr. reduced the bond of a man charged with animal cruelty that shocked the community.

Michael Edward Bobbitt was bound over to the Grand Jury on Nov. 21 on charges of bestiality, sexual assault, and aggravated animal cruelty. Justice Court Judge Ronnie Hicks refused to reduce the $375,000 bond he ordered. The case is now in the hands of the Circuit Court where Judge Loper reduced Bobbitt’s bond to $50,000, allowing him to bond out. The grand jury will convene in April 2023, allowing him to remain in a community shaken by his alleged crimes. 

On Friday, Nov. 11, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department served Bobbitt with a search and seizure order, seizing evidence that included a computer. He was arrested and booked at the Carroll Montgomery Regional Correctional Facility. 

Four dogs were removed from the property and taken to In Defense of Animals’ Hope Animal Sanctuary in Grenada, where they’re still being cared for and are available for adoption. 

Bobbitt was charged with two felony counts of “unnatural intercourse with a beast,” a crime with up to a 10-year penitentiary sentence with a $350,000 bond. He was charged with a single count of sexual battery against his wife, Christy Bobbitt. Michael Bobbit was given an extra $25,000 bond and charged with aggravated animal cruelty, § 97-41-16, Maliciously injuring dogs or cats, for injuries one of the dogs sustained. Bobbit’s request to reduce his bond was denied.

Christy Bobbitt, with her attorney, surrendered herself at the Grenada County Jail. Christy was charged with four felony counts of “unnatural intercourse with a beast,” and bailed on a $20,000 bond.

 “Hope Animal Sanctuary responded to our sheriff’s department’s need for immediate assistance for four dogs seized from the Bobbitt’s property. The dogs are in our staff’s good hands, and the care and disposition of these cruelly objectified dogs will be their secret. Their trauma will not follow them,” said Sharon Stone, Operations Manager at In Defense of Animals’ Hope Animal Sanctuary.

In Defense of Animals will continue to follow this case and praises Carroll County Sheriff Clint Walker and his deputies' handling of this vile case. 

“As heinous as bestiality is, it may not be as removed from our communities as we’d think. News of the prosecution of the Bobbitts should give potential offenders pause. Incarceration is a real possibility,” said Doll Stanley, Justice for Animals Senior Campaigner with In Defense of Animals. “This is yet another tragic case that proves violence to animals and humans is closely linked — those who abuse one will likely abuse the other. We must protect all members of our communities.”

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Images: https://bit.ly/BobbitPix

Contact: Doll Stanley, doll@idausa.org, (662) 809-4483

In Defense of Animals’ Justice for Animals Campaign has worked actively with law enforcement, court officials, and citizens of Mississippi for the prevention and prosecution of animal cruelty under existing statutes and ordinances and for the passage of laws that civilized societies should afford their most vulnerable creatures for 30 years.

Hope Animal Sanctuary was established in Carroll County by In Defense of Animals in 1993. It rescues and rehabilitates around 500 of the Deep South’s most abused animals each year. www.idausa.org/sanctuaries/hope-animal-sanctuary

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization based in California with over 250,000 supporters and a 39-year history of fighting for animals, their advocates, and the environment through education and campaigns, as well as hands-on rescue facilities in India, South Korea, and rural Mississippi. www.idausa.org/justice4animals

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