Brief Summary: A local resident, Jeffrey Rich, visited the city's animal shelter in Marlin, TX and discovered several malnourished and dead dogs without water or food and covered in feces and urine. The City Police Chief, James Hommel, provides leadership over the animal shelter and supervises the Animal Control Officer, Nicole Grams. Chief Hommel responded by asking Mr. Rich to remove his social media post and admitted publicly that he cleaned up the scene, along with City Councilman Cecil Sparks, before an investigation could occur. The Falls County Sheriff, Joe Lopez, also publicly admitted that Chief Hommel and his staff cleaned up the crime scene before proper investigation. Despite these public testimonies and two weeks since Mr. Rich's social media posts, there have been no charges and no arrests of the felony crimes committed. Chief Hommel was never placed on administrative leave and is currently still actively involved in communicating with the investigation of himself and his employee Ms. Grams, that Sheriff Lopez leads. Due to the nature of the situation, we are petitioning for Texas State Attorney General, Ken Paxton, to order the Texas Rangers to oversee and conduct a fair, unbiased investigation and for those found responsible of these crimes to be held to the fullest legal consequences.
Detailed Account: This petition stems from a horrifying incident that occurred on January 9, 2024, at the Marlin City Animal Shelter in Marlin, Texas. Several dogs were found tortured, neglected, and/or murdered within the city shelter's confines, when local Marlin resident,, Jeffrey Rich, went to the shelter in search of his stray dog. Thankfully, Mr. Rich posted his videos and pictures on social media for the world to see. He described his observations, linked below. “The dogs were covered in feces, no food, no water. The bowls were really dry. They all looked like they ain’t been fed in a minute,” “Whenever I saw that dead dog, that’s when I was like, I got to do something because they had him just lying there like it was nothing,” These acts of animal cruelty are not only illegal but are also inhumane and unacceptable.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/outrage-after-marlin-animal-shelter-abuse-exposed/ar-AA1mMhta
The response to this reported crime was equally disturbing. According to Mr. Rich, “Before the sheriffs and stuff got involved. He (Marlin Police Chief Hommel) was already in there, already disposing of the dead body and then dumped it somewhere. Then was picking up the dog poop and, you know, stuff like that.” Marlin Police Chief, James Hommel, admitted in a news interview that upon learning of the videos, he asked Mr. Rich to remove the social media post, in which Mr. Rich refused. Chief Hommel also admitted in the public interview that he had already started the process of cleaning the kennels upon learning of Mr. Rich’s social media post, instead of preserving the shelter as an active crime scene for investigation. Chief Hommel directly supervises Marlin Animal Control Officer, Nicole Grams, who is accused of these animal cruelty crimes and is also the daughter of Chief Hommel's rumored girlfriend.
https://www.kwtx.com/2024/01/10/i-think-we-need-training-cleaning-kennels-marlin-police-department-speaks-out-about-malnourished-dogs-conditions-animal-facility/
According to the Waco Tribune Herald, “Marlin City Council Member Cecil Sparks said the situation is not as bad as it looks in the post…(h)e said he was at the shelter Monday night (Jan. 8th) and Tuesday morning (Jan. 9th) and said the dog that died was alive and appeared fine.” In another news interview, Chief Hommel admitted that a council member was with him at the crime scene, to assess and clean before the public discovery. "We were made aware that there was a dead dog this morning. Myself and a council member was here yesterday evening. We walked through the kennels last night."
https://wacotrib.com/news/local/government-politics/dog-dies-at-marlin-animal-shelter-as-facebook-post-about-conditions-draws-concerns/article_fc4d0854-af4b-11ee-98ad-a3b04bb0107e.html
https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/local/marlin-residents-outraged-graphic-videos-images-of-dogs-at-citys-animal-control-center-shared-on-facebook/500-1721c32e-d7c4-473a-9441-e6c914947919
Why was Mr. Sparks allowed at a crime scene? Why did he not report the conditions he observed? Why were the kennels cleaned instead of being treated as the crime scene it was? Additionally, several dogs were later reportedly found dead in a trash bag in the city-owned dumpster, further supporting Mr. Rich’s claims of witnessing Chief Hommel ‘disposing of the dead body and then dumped it somewhere’. Falls County Sheriff Joe Lopez publicly admitted in a local news interview on January 9, 2024, that Chief Hommel did not respond to the situation appropriately by cleaning the crime scene before his team could investigate. “Lopez insisted, ‘Instead of notifying the proper authorities, they took it upon themselves to start cleaning, disposing and I think that should have been held until a further investigation was done.’”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/numerous-dogs-found-dead-in-bad-condition-at-marlin-facility-falls-county-sheriff-says/ar-AA1mI2PW
As the initial days went by, the rescues who took in the surviving shelter dogs discovered that five dogs were microchipped and had owners, despite city officials telling them otherwise. Unfortunately, two dogs were already deceased upon discovery. All three owners stated that they surrendered their dogs or arranged with the shelter for temporary holds in late 2023 due to unfortunate events, and their dogs were accepted in healthy conditions by City Animal Control Officer Nicole Grams. They did not give her consent for any bodily injury or harm to be done to their beloved pets. Little did the owners know they were sentencing their dogs to the horrific, inhumane conditions, and some even to their deaths, that were discovered months later.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/other/dog-nearing-death-rescued-from-marlin-animal-shelter-finds-family/ar-AA1ncXMH
By definitions and legal requirements of Texas Penal Code § 42.092. Cruelty to Non-livestock Animals, these crimes of animal cruelty meet the legal requirements of a felony offense. A person commits an offense if the person intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly:(1) tortures an animal or in a cruel manner kills or causes serious bodily injury to an animal; (2) without the owner's effective consent, kills, administers poison to, or causes serious bodily injury to an animal;(3) fails unreasonably to provide necessary food, water, care, or shelter for an animal in the person's custody;…(6) without the owner's effective consent, causes bodily injury to an animal;
By definitions and legal requirements of Texas Penal Code § 37.09. Tampering With or Fabricating Physical Evidence, these crimes of tampering with evidence meet the legal requirements of a felony offense. (a) A person commits an offense if, knowing that an investigation or official proceeding is pending or in progress, he:(1) alters, destroys, or conceals any record, document, or thing with intent to impair its verity, legibility, or availability as evidence in the investigation or official proceeding; or (2) makes, presents, or uses any record, document, or thing with knowledge of its falsity and with intent to affect the course or outcome of the investigation or official proceeding.
The public evidence clearly supports felony charges of animal cruelty and tampering with evidence. At release time of this petition, two weeks after Mr. Rich's social media post went viral, there have been no arrests and no charges. Even worse, Chief Hommel, continues to actively serve in his position of authority and has not been placed on administrative leave. The most recent update from Sheriff Lopez on January 19, 2024, said “I got with the mayor, and I know the mayor and I know the chief, and I don’t think anything like that is something they would allow", suggesting an investigation bias. This is a small, rural town inside of a small, rural county where everyone knows everyone. City and County officials tend to have a long history with one another, which further complicates the integrity of a fair, unbiased investigation. The Falls County Sheriff's Office is stationed inside the city limits of Marlin, Texas and is located less than a three mile drive from City Hall and the police department. Sheriff Lopez publicly admits in multiple news interviews that he continues to work directly with the City Mayor and the Police Chief, a person who is witnessed to be involved with tampering of evidence and directly supervises the Animal Control Officer accused of animal cruelty crimes, Nicole Grams. Additionally, Sheriff Lopez admits in his news interview that he and his team are overwhelmed with the investigation and it is impacting its integrity.
https://www.kxxv.com/news/local-news/in-your-neighborhood/falls-county/marlin/more-efforts-underway-to-assist-investigate-city-of-marlin-animal-control-shelter-allegations
We, the undersigned, come together as a community, united by our shared concerns for the welfare of animals and a collective call for justice, in response to the distressing conditions revealed in Marlin, Texas.
We Petition for:
Independent Investigation: We petition Texas State Attorney General, Ken Paxton, to order the Texas Rangers to initiate and assume oversight of a transparent and independent investigation into the neglect, abuse, and torture of animals at the Marlin City Animal Shelter, including witness claims and public admissions of city officials tampering with evidence. This situation calls for immediate action from higher authorities to ensure justice for these innocent animals who suffered unspeakable cruelties. We believe that with their expertise and impartiality, the Texas Rangers can conduct an unbiased investigation into this matter, holding those responsible accountable for their actions. The findings must be made public to restore trust and accountability.
Legal Consequences: We demand that individuals found responsible of animal cruelty and evidence tampering face legal consequences commensurate with the severity of their actions. This is not just a local concern but a shared national call for justice. We specifically call for the arrests of Marlin Animal Control Officer Nicole Grams, Marlin Police Chief James Hommel, and Marlin City Council Member Cecil Sparks and for full legal charges for their actions and involvement in intentional animal cruelty and/or tampering with evidence crimes.
By signing this petition, we express our solidarity with the unfortunate, voiceless dogs affected by this horrific tragedy and demand justice for the heinous crimes intentionally committed against their welfare. Animal cruelty cannot be tolerated or ignored; it must be confronted head-on with strict legal measures and demands for justice. By signing this petition, we are taking a stand against such atrocities and advocating justice for these helpless victims.
Join us in demanding justice for the Marlin Dogs!! We must be the voice for the voiceless!! #JusticeForMarlinDogs #MarlinTx #ArrestGrams #ArrestHommel #ArrestSparks
