By David Owens, newseditor@laurelleadercall.com
A new court date has been set for a Jasper County man accused of operating a puppy mill near Bay Springs.
The Jasper County Justice Court said Tuesday that the trial of Richard Stockman, of Bay Springs, is scheduled to begin Jan. 20 in Bay Springs.
Stockman, who was cited in October on animal neglect charges, was scheduled to appear in court in December. However, Jasper County Justice Court Judge Marvin Jones said the trial was delayed because Stockman’s representative, Joseph Sims, had requested a continuance due to his wife nearing child birth.
Calls to Sims’ Bay Springs office were not immediately returned Tuesday.
Animal cruelty investigator Sally Langley, who has worked with the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department on the case, said the prosecution is fully prepared for the court date.
“We have plenty of evidence and documented everything very well,” she said. “If we go to trial, we’re definitely prepared for that. We’re ready to get it situated and get the rest of the dogs taken care of.”
Langley said that at the time of the puppy mill discovery, approximately 45 dogs were taken away from the scene.
“We only took those in immediate medical need,” she said. “There were possibly about 40 more left. I don’t know how many he kept or if he’s tried to get some out of there.”
Langley said that while those dogs were not in the best physical conditions, they were healthy enough for officers to leave them there.
“Twelve of the dogs that we took had to be euthanized due to medical conditions,” she said. “There’s nothing we could do for them.”
Langley noted that the rest of the dogs were sent to the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society in Oxford, Miss., to be adopted out.
While Stockman’s case has gained the most attention, Langley said she has been busy investigating animal cruelty cases in four counties including Jones County.
“This weather and this time of year, it’s piling up,” she said. “There are couple of things we’re looking into in Jones County... a lot of horses. With the economy, people are not being able to feed their animals. It’s sad.”
