The voices of over 150,000 animal lovers have helped an Indiana couple bring their case to the public’s attention.
The couple, Jeff and Jennifer Councellor, found an injured newborn fawn and nursed it back to health. Eventually, the Department of Natural Resources became involved who ordered that Dani, the now-healthy deer, was to be euthanized. Then Indiana state prosecutors got involved.
The Councellors were charged with illegal possession of a whitetail deer. Pending conviction on this charge, the Indiana couple faced a fine and jail time.
This is when John Waudby stepped in to help. Waudby is an animal lover who decided quickly on his plan of action. He published a petition on Change.org requesting the Indiana chief prosecutor to drop criminal charges against the Councellors. This petition brought the Councellors’ dilemma to the public after it became a Cause on Facebook.
The public found the Councellors’ story compelling. Their plight created outrage and indignation. Support came from as far away as Argentina and Australia. A “Drop Charges Against Connersville Police Officer” Facebook page quickly amassed over 18,676 supporters.
The DuPont Diaries put it into perspective: “At least there are voices of reason amidst a cacophony of crazy.”
Douglas Brown, the Decatur County chief deputy prosecutor, said his office just received word from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to drop the charges of illegal possession of a white-tailed deer against Jeff and Jennifer Counceller.
Brown said, “Certainly, we have the final say, but we relied heavily on DNR’s wishes to first of all file it and second of all dismiss it.”
He went on to say, “Once the case is officially dismissed, my office plans to issue a special prosecutor’s report that will further explain the decision to dismiss.”
Amidst this public chaos voicing critical objections against the DNR, the Councellors said, “We have seen the deer on our property in recent days. It appears healthy.”
Read: Change.org, DuPont Diaries, My Previous Article - I've included a video of another fawn, healthy and left my the doe for a short while, on the front door step of a rural house. Normally, this is what should have happened with the Counsellor's fawn. However, the fawn they found was injured and abandoned.
If you enjoyed this article, please click the link above to get others. It’s free, informative and anonymous. Read my articles on Examiner.com and visit my website www.dressyourhorse.com.
Comments