Shelter reform group S.O.S. Memphis, which stands for “Save Our Shelter,” will hold a demonstration on Sunday, June 23rd at 1 p.m. to protest District Attorney Amy Weirich’s decision to drop animal cruelty charges against former shelter employee Demetria Hogan.
Hogan had been charged with cruelty after a couple of incidents in 2011 that resulted in a Cordova family’s pit bull Kapone going missing for months after he was picked up and another dog dying in her care.
A Memphis Police Department investigation in 2011 revealed that Hogan failed to perform her duties, abused her authority, and made false entries on official records when she stole a dog from the shelter. She was indicted on charges of cruelty, forgery, and misconduct.
But Weirich dropped the charges because new evidence led her to believe that Hogan would not be convicted. She apparently has some witnesses who say she did deliver Kapone to the shelter rather than losing or kidnapping the dog while out on her route. There is also some evidence that the dog who died in her care may have suffered a heat stroke.
But members of S.O.S. feel like there was plenty of evidence to show that Hogan was negligent in her care of the two dogs. In a release about their planned protest, they had this to say: “It is apparent that Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich and the city are “picking and choosing” what they prosecute and that they do not care about animal cruelty, and it continues to be apparent that Mayor Wharton does not care about animal cruelty or the accountability of his employees.”
