Andrea Rosebrock 
Robert Brown’s 2 year old Rottweiler, Diamond, died after being picked up by Clay County Animal Control and left in the truck when the ACO went to a meeting.
The family alleged that Diamond died due to heat stress and filed a complaint against ACO Billy Wilson, the officer in question.
No surprisingly, Clay County conducted an internal investigation and concluded that it “found that neither action nor inaction by Officer Billy Wilson contributed to the death of “Diamond”.”
The Necropsy report is inconclusive regarding a possible cause of Diamond’s death, but does suggest the hypovolemic/distributive shock may have been related to heat stress.
So what does Clay County decide to do to prove themselves innocent of the charge?? They conduct an experiment using another dog of about the same size and subject it to what they think are approximately the same conditions that Diamond was subjected to. One hour locked in a metal box while the temps climbed to almost 90 degrees.
Great… one dog dies so they torture another to see if it will die too! Wunderkunds!
“When they did the experiment, basically they were trying to see if the dog was going to die or live. That was the only two outcomes they were thinking of this experiment,” said Diamond’s owner Robert Henry.
Learning of the experiment, a former animal control volunteer has filed a complaint against Bill Bodenweber, Clay County’s director of enforcement services, alleging it was intentional animal cruelty.
“That’s intent animal cruelty right there. It just went beyond my imagination that they’d do anything like that. I just had to go to the sheriff’s office,” said Don Rammon.
Bodenweber responded with a statement: “The dog used in the simulation was never in danger and was closely monitored in a controlled experiment with constant monitoring by animal care professionals.” (News 4 Jax)
Unbelievable!! As if that proves anything aside from proving that they are cruel and heartless.
The lab concluded Diamond’s death could be a result of roaming for several hours without water or shelter, or it could be because the day was humid and dogs with black fur like Diamond heat up more quickly that lighter-colored dogs, or because Diamond was nervous and had difficulty regulating body temperature.
Clay County also made sure to point out that 7 other animals left in the truck, survived in generally good condition.
So, they clear themselves in an internal investigation, and I’m sure that investigation was completely impartial and fair… yeah, right! Then they conduct a cruel experiment on another dog attempting to simulate the same conditions assuring everyone that the dog was safe throughout.
Now I have one further question, what’s the chance that Diamond would have died if the ACO had not locked the dog in the truck and left her there for the extended period of time while he attended a meeting??
Guess it’s case closed and business as usual now… wonder how many more will die… Again, “Damn Shame “doesn’t begin to describe my thoughts and feelings….
What??Did I just read that right??Unbelievable!!Of all the stupid,vicious ways to try and save your job…or prove ….What?..That your a dumbass?..Scary to think of these individuals being in charge of helpless beings..just scary and sad..
I live here in Jax, just outside of Clay County and trust me, people are not letting this go. Several organizations have gotten involved, like PETA, ASPCA, not to mention the Clay County Sheriff’s office. Diamond’s owner has filed a complaint and is speaking with an attorney about a possible law suit. It is just a damn shame that they are allowed to investigate themselves! And then, to torture another animal the same way to see if he would die, well that is just plain ignorance! Unfortunately, this general area is still governed by the “Good Ole Boys” and their mentality is severly lacking. We are all hoping that we can keep this case open to the extent that someone pays for what happened to poor Diamond and that it doesn’t happen to another defenseless animal.
@Kerry – Are you really all that surprised, Kerry?
@Barbara Trimble – Thanks for that, Barbara. I hope they don’t let it go. Tired of seeing this kind of stuff swept under the carpet and oh yeah, know all about ‘good ole boys’ mentality. It’s the bane of many smaller towns and cities. People need to ‘wipe the slate clean’ and get rid of all of them… well, I can dream….
Well, these *good ole boy* networks are unraveling fast. Look at the mess the PA Dog Law Bureau is up against with their own personnel in Derbe Eckhart’s puppy mill.
Keep at it Barbara. Make sure those voices are LOUD.
I am broken-hearted as I read this… There is no ending to the human cruelty.
Thanks for the info & please let us know if the people down there in Clay County need signatures on a petition or letters sent to officials. I really hope this doesn’t just go away. And I really wish the owners of Diamond well on their lawsuit. I know it won’t bring Diamond back at least it could serve as some kind of justice.