SUPERIOR COURT
A property owner walked into a nightmarish situation following the eviction of renters in a Gray neighborhood that led to arrests and the indictments of those individuals.
Lisa Michelle Barnes and Bryan Hayward Bass were indicted by a Jones County Grand Jury for four counts of aggravated cruelty to animals Oct. 10. Both were arrested for the offense of cruelty to animals July 21.
The incident report by Gray Police Lt. Thaxton Pennamon stated that he was dispatched to a residence on Turnerwoods Road July 3 to make contact with the homeowner. The complainant told him he went into the rental property to make sure the renters had moved out per a court order.
The owner had a key but said the lock on the front door had been changed. He was able, however, to make entrance through another door that had not been secured.
The complainant said no one was at the residence. He told Pennamon he found a room that was barricaded and had to force his way in. Inside that room, the owner found the bodies of several dead dogs that had already started to decay.
Pennamon said he went into the residence and found four dead dogs and what appeared to be a puppy lying under one. He went into the bathroom and saw another dog bone behind the door in a linen closet.
The lieutenant said the floor was full of animal feces, which was also in other parts of the house. Pennamon said warrants were issued for the renters, Barnes and Bass.
Gray Police Officer Dylan Joiner went to the Turnerwoods Road residence July 6 to photograph the scene. Joiner said he could smell a strong odor before entering the home. He said he observed dog feces and urine throughout the house.
The officer said he observed three deceased dogs in one bedroom and another behind the door. He said two others were lying closer to each other with one on a mattress.
“All appeared to have been deceased for some time and were in various states of decay,” he said.
Joiner said, after photographing the bedroom, he went into the bathroom and saw towels and blankets in a closet with what appeared to be the bones of an animal on top.
