BOONE COUNTY — The arrest of a Boone County German shepherd breeder and recovery of dozens of dead and malnourished dogs from her property happened months after animal control first heard concerns — but officials said they followed a strict protocol that ensures they don't infringe on people's rights.
Melissa Sanders, who operated Magnum Opus German Shepherds as a dog-breeding and boarding business on her property, was taken into custody and charged with 15 misdemeanor and three felony animal abuse charges after a raid at her property on Nov. 13.
A grand jury later handed down an indictment for Sanders, replacing all misdemeanor charges with felonies and adding 11 felony animal abuse charges. Sanders now faces 29 total felony animal abuse charges, to which she has pleaded not guilty.
Melissa Sanders
Columbia/Boone County Animal Control received an anonymous report of abandonment in June, and a neighbor again reported abandonment at Sanders' property in September.
But Animal Control Director Kevin Meyers said the department faces certain limitations for enforcement, including requirements for physical evidence and probable cause.
Limits on access and enforcement
Meyers said when complaints involve the condition of animals, officers want to see the animals firsthand. However, private property rights can restrict what animal control is legally allowed to do.
"If the complaint is on the condition of the animals, we want to see the animals," Meyers said. "Now we can't always get that, because an owner may not want us on their property."
Meyers said that when officers visited Sanders' property to investigate the abandonment report in June, they did not find any issues and confirmed the property was in proper condition.
If officers do not observe a physical violation, Meyers said they cannot return without new evidence.
"Because of what she showed us was adequate, if there was no violation at that time, there is no probable cause to do a follow-up visit," Meyers said.
In some situations, Meyers said the department's first goal is voluntary compliance.
"Our main goal is if we can talk to the owner, even if they have an issue going on, we can work with them to fix and give them time to improve and make sure things are better," Meyers said.
When animal control received another abandonment allegation in September, Meyers said Sanders contacted the department before officers were sent to investigate. Meyers said Sanders denied the abandonment allegation over the phone.
"Miss Sanders made contact with us," Meyers said. "So once we were notified there was no abandonment, that's kind of as much as we can do in those cases."
Meyers said Sanders did not grant officers permission to access her property in that case.
"It would have been nice if we could have gone out there and confirmed that, but she really did not want us on her property," Meyers said.
New evidence
The case advanced, ultimately leading to the Nov. 13 raid and Sanders' arrest, after two Nebraska women reported their dogs died under Sanders' care.
Collette Youngblood said she left her dog with Sanders from June to November and learned her dog died on Nov. 1.
Youngblood said she became concerned after Sanders stopped communicating.
"She wasn't responding to me, and that's when I realized that something was going on," Youngblood said.
Youngblood said the body of her dog Mojo was examined by a veterinarian, and a necropsy found Mojo was 40 pounds when he died, while his usual weight was 70 pounds. A necropsy of the other dog that allegedly died under Sanders' care found that it died from strangulation while trying to escape a kennel due to malnourishment, Youngblood said. A probable cause statement filed in Sanders' criminal case makes the same claim.
Meyers said the necropsy results were enough physical evidence to give animal control probable cause for a search warrant.
"The fact that I couldn't get there fast enough, and put together the pieces fast enough, is so painful," Youngblood said.
Youngblood is listed as a witness for the state in the grand jury indictment for Sanders.
What's next
A judge ordered a home detention study for Sanders on Dec. 18, and Sanders is next scheduled to appear in court at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 6 in Boone County. A judge ordered the transport of Sanders to the courthouse for the hearing.
Meyers said responsibility for what happened ultimately rests with the person charged.
"I think the blame lies solely in her," Meyers said.