Animal Cruelty Trial Continues in Marion County

     Detective Gene Hargis describes to jurors the conditions in which he found some animals in the Perry Link Animal Shelter a year and a half ago.

Detective Gene Hargis "...this was the part of the back there, where maggots were crawling on the floor, a lot of flies and mosquitoes..."

     Hargis testifies some of those animals were dead...

"the puppy that was decomposing. It was in close proximity to that. There were maggots, lots of flies, mosquitoes, fleas everywhere."

     Hargis describes the odor in the shelter as "unbearable."    

"...very strong odor, again, of decaying, I guess, of organic material, feces, urine, just a real bad smell."

    In cross-examination, defense attorney Jes Beard accuses the detective of spending more time helping news media crews than securing the crime scene at the shelter.

Jes Beard, Defense Attonrey "what about this case prevented you from keeping those folks with cameras from wandering in? 'Because, I was asking for any help I could get.' "So, your concern was not for the crime scene?" 'At that time, no, it was not.' "

     Defense contends someone else is responsible for abusing or neglecting the animals, instead of Annette Mobley.