Starved or shot? Officials, owner spar over cows' condition

These cattle were found along with the carcasses of 60 cows on property owned by John Darron Thomas of Wartrace. He is to be charged with 60 counts of aggravated animal cruelty today, however, Thomas claims that the cows were not starved, but shot, after he filed a $6 million suit against the sheriff's department last week.
(T-G Photo by Brian Mosely) [Order this photo]

However, the man accused claims that his cows were shot after he filed a $6 million federal lawsuit against the sheriff and three deputies.

John Darron Thomas of Clyde Gleaves Road is to be charged today with 60 counts of aggravated animal cruelty and not disposing of the dead animals properly.

Thomas was arrested last night on unspecified state charges, but is currently free on $25,000 bond.

According to Sheriff Randall Boyce, as of Thursday morning, over 60 cows have been found dead on one piece of property and he believed that more will die.

Boyce said that authorities in Coffee County informed officials at the Bedford County Sheriff's Department about dead cattle in their jurisdiction on Thomas' land and wondered if that was the case in this county.

Upon investigating the claims, Boyce said that his deputies reported that 21 carcasses were visible from the road on Tuesday.

"When you can see that many lying there, you know something's wrong," Boyce said. "They were lying everywhere."

Boyce also said that many of the cows appeared starved and how many counts of cruelty Thomas will ultimately face will depend on how many starved animals they find.

The Thomas property, consisting of four farms, extends into both Bedford and Coffee Counties and he faces the same charges in Coffee County as well.

Around 150 head of cattle were found at one farm, but Boyce said there is no way to tell how many may be spread out on the 3,000 acres that Thomas uses. Some estimates placed the herd's count at 800 head.

Owner: Cattle were shot

However, Thomas claims that someone has been shooting his cows and he requested autopsies be done on six of the cattle, telling reporters Wednesday evening that his veterinarian, Dr. Jerry Hackett, informed him that they had been shot.

But reports from Dr. Bruce McLaughlin of the C.E. Kord Animal Disease Laboratory in Nashville stated that the cattle had no evidence of trauma and that "findings include severe dehydration and severe emaciation."

Coffee County authorities got hold of the results and passed them along to Bedford County investigators this week.

Investigators also spent a good part of Wednesday preparing the search warrants for all property Thomas is using and having them approved by Circuit Court Judge Robert Crigler.

Property inspected

Members of the Sheriff's Department, criminal investigators from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and the county's animal control director, Michael Gregory, went to the Thomas property about 4 p.m. Wednesday to serve the search warrants and check on the condition of the cattle.

Thomas arrived a few minutes after officials served the warrants and told assembled news media that his cows were shot after he filed a federal lawsuit late last week against the county, the Sheriff's Department, Boyce and Deputies Benjamin Burris, Kent Jacobs and Kevin Roddy.

He claims that he has been pulled over approximately 20 times with no convictions and that deputies have harassed and kidnapped him.

Thomas repeatedly claimed that the cows had been shot, but the cattle observed by the T-G were apparently malnourished and the muddy field where they were kept contained no hay or grass. A trailer full of hay and feed sat on the road outside the property, but the cows could not approach it.

Thomas also denied that the cows had starved, even when asked about the results of Dr. McLaughlin's report. He said there was never trouble with the livestock until the suit was filed.

However, Thomas currently has several counts of livestock running at large in General Sessions Court at this time.

Pending lawsuit

The federal suit claims that on June 25, 2008, Thomas was followed by Jacobs, who was off duty, to a piece of property where Thomas kept cattle.

Boyce said Wednesday that Jacobs observed Thomas "running people off the road" and requested that an officer conduct a traffic stop on Thomas.

Thomas claims in his suit that he was not in sight of the road when he was arrested for DUI by Burris and Roddy, but Boyce said that Thomas was still in sight of the road and in control of his vehicle.

Boyce said that Thomas was "slumped over the wheel" in his vehicle and wouldn't respond to officers.

When Thomas exited the vehicle, "he was staggering around so bad, they couldn't do a field sobriety test on him," Boyce claims.

Boyce explained that Thomas had no alcohol in him, but he was on medication. But when the case went before a judge from Lincoln County, Boyce said that it was dismissed due to uncertain toxicology results.

Thomas claims in his suit that the county officers have conspired to arrest him and caused false imprisonment for retribution for his interfering with the relationship of Jacobs and his girlfriend.

But Boyce said that "other things will come to light when we go to court" in the suit.

Efforts to reach Thomas' attorney, Thomas J. Henderickson, III, for comment were unsuccessful by press time Thursday morning.

State was aware

Mike Whaley, criminal investigator for the state's department of agriculture said Wednesday evening that they had already spoken to Thomas about the disposal of dead cattle last week.

"We gave him a week to dispose of them, and I had no idea there were that many out here," he said. "He's got a lot of property, so there's no telling how many is dead."

Whaley said he had counted 20 carcasses since arriving on the Thomas property late Wednesday afternoon. He stressed that his department only handles issues like livestock running at large and disposal of remains.

But Boyce said the problem his department is facing now is how to care for 800 head of cattle. Calls went out to area farmers from the sheriff Wednesday night for help to feed the massive herd.

Thursday morning, Boyce was on his way to a meeting with the Tennessee Farm Bureau to find out how they can keep the animals fed. Other humane organizations from around the country have offered help as well, Boyce explained, and a number of local farmers have already donated hay.

Boyce also stressed that the conditions at the Thomas property were "not normal" and is "a very extreme situation."

"We take care of animals here in Bedford County and I have never seen cattle like this," Boyce said.