REVEALING OF THE RIVALS | 1B

Jellico Middle | Campbell County

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PRESS

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Thursday, April 11, 2013

Bite worse than bark

SPECIAL REPORT: ADRION W. BAIRD ANIMAL CENTER

Critics blast shelter

in viral video; death
threats against
director lead to
statewide probe

... After a while, you keep hearing the same complaints over and over,
at some point, you have to take notice of them. And at some point, you
then have to forget about it and ignore it or youve got to investigate.

-Attorney Terry Basista, on actions taken at the county animal shelter following numerous complaints

By BETH BRADEN
braden@lafollettepress.com
A former animal advisory board member,
who previously championed shelter director
Betty Crumleys leadership, is voicing his
concerns.
It follows a six-minute viral video in which
Crumley is heard speaking to an employee
with concerns about euthanasia practices.
Crumley dismisses it as the work of a disgruntled, former employee others contend
there are major issues.
The rst several seconds of the video feature
an unidentied man telling Crumley, We
have a problem, Betty. The two in the bag
that was gone? One of thems come back to
life out there in the freezer.
Oh dear, Crumley said.
Crumley claims the audio has been taken
out of context and edited and manipulated
to stage the conversation.
He added my voice to different things,
she said last Wednesday.
The video appeared on YouTube on April 1
and was subsequently linked on a Facebook
page called Exposing Betty Crumley Information needed here. The Facebook page was
created the same day.
Almost immediately, the shelter began receiving calls from all over the country about
the allegations from the video.
Last Wednesday, Crumley showed the LaFollette Press a list of notes from phone calls
left on the shelters answering machine, which
included threats on Crumleys life. Several
callers wished other ills on Crumley.
The calls prompted increased patrols at
the shelter, according to Campbell County
Sheriff Robbie Goins.
An investigation into the threats was
launched at the request of the county mayor
and the district attorney.
Crumley said the threats were a hindrance
to shelter operations. This place cannot shut
down. We have to function and we could
function better if we werent getting all these
threatening phone calls, she said.
Crumley doesnt dispute the fact that
some of the photos in the video are of her
shelter.
If youll notice the date, it was [May of
2009], she said.
It was during that time that the disgruntled
worker, who she believes is responsible for
the video, was still employed at the shelter.
Crumley claims he took photos of a dead
dog in an unzipped plastic body bag while
other workers were out of the building.
I have no idea why that bag would be
open unless he did it, she said.
Not everything pictured in the video is from
See BARK, Page 6A

INSIDE

A dog rests on his cot at the Adrion W. Baird Animal Center earlier this year. The shelter has again come under re,after
a viral Internet video that makes several claims about shelter conditins and euthanasia practices. File photo

PUBLIC SAFETY

FIRE GUTS
POTTERS
CABIN
By SUSAN SHARP
sharp@lafollettepress.com
Campbell County Road
Superintendent Dennis
Potter and his family are
facing an immense tragedy
after their Elk Valley home
burned down, while spending spring break aboard a
cruise ship.
Its a bad thing that happened, Potter said Monday
afternoon. Its been a heck
of deal.
The family left early last
Saturday morning expecting a week of relaxation
in the Bahamas, but as
they docked in Jamaica on
Tuesday an urgent message awaited them.
Just after 11 a.m. Campbell County E-911 received
a call that the Lone Road
home was on re, according
to 911 records.
Records indicate that
despite efforts of area re
crews the home was a
See FIRE, Page 4A

CRIME & COURTS

6 youth face charges,

thousands in restitution
for lakefront destruction

Area youth allegedly used a D-5 bulldozer to turn over a Jayco camper in the
Villages. Photo by Susan Sharp
By SUSAN SHARP
sharp@lafollettepress.com
Malicious mischief is what police
are calling multiple acts of vandalism
that total more than $300,000 at one
lakefront, gated-community.
The destruction occurred at the Villages development over several months
beginning last October, according to

Campbell County Sheriffs Department

Detective Brandon Elkins.
Villages personnel became aware of
the vandalism last fall when a truck
belonging to a construction rm was
discovered at the bottom of a hill, according to Mark Kotellos, security director
See VANDALS Page 4A

LaFollette

PRESS
Volume 102, Number 15
LaFollette, TN 37766
38 Pages, 3 Sections

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