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Yellowstone County News
113 Northern Ave. Huntley MT 59037
Phone: 406-348-2649
Fax: 406-348-2302
Email: info@yellowstonecountynews.com
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Publishers: Randall "Pete" and Rebecca Tescher Robison
Managing Editor: Rebecca Tescher Robison
Reporting Staff: Rebecca Tescher Robison, Evelyn Pyburn, Jeanne Travisono, Robert Nolte, Sharon Michaels
Production Staff: Jeanne Travisono, Lynn Remington, Rebecca Tescher Robison, Susan Dussault, Robert Nolte,
Advertising Sales: Harriat Conklin,
Correspondents: Carl Wolf, Leland Cade, Jim Goltz, Martin Mull
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Yellowstone County News for Week of January 2, 2009.
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BALLANTINE - Officials search for dogs at Linda Kapsa's Shady Acres Kennel. More than 200 dogs were confiscated by deputies and volunteers on Tuesday, Dec. 30. By that afternoon, the dogs had preliminary vet checks. They will be held by the county until the situation is resolved. (Robison photo)
County takes action against Kapsa
by Evelyn Pyburn
BALLANTINE - Yellow-stone County Sheriff’s deputies and some 65 civilian volunteers swooped in on the property of Linda Kapsa at 2315 S. 14 Rd., Ballantine early Tuesday morning to serve a search warrant and seize more than 200 dogs that are suspected of being abused and receiving poor care.
The operation, which has been more than a week in the planning according to the county attorney’s office, would take most of the day to execute, Undersheriff Jay Bell told reporters at a press conference at the Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday morning.
The purpose of the warrant is to collect evidence, said Bell, and it is based on earlier evidence collected during the execution of a warrant served Dec. 11, when the county officers seized 13 dogs that were “injured and in obvious need of care.”
Observations by law enforcement at that time and photos taken of the conditions in which dogs were being kept justified the new warrant.
They found “horrendous living conditions,” said Bell. In his 31 years in law enforcement, he said, he has never seen anything like it.
Bell said that the county attorney’s office anticipates gathering enough evidence to file charges against Kapsa for cruelty to animals. Kapsa operates a commercial kennel called Shady Lane Kennels, where she breeds and sells English Shepherds and pugs.
Bell said that his department has been working with the Humane Society and the county attorney’s office planning for the raid. The property is being treated as a crime scene, he explained, and reporters were restricted to access as a consequence. However, the animals were moved to MetraPark fairgrounds, where the press was invited to view the animals.
Two veterinarians and several dog handlers were on hand at Kapsa’s property to assist in assessing the dogs and preparing them for transfer. Several businesses, including Pet Smart and Shipton’s, have donated carriers, dog food and panels to aid in the processing of the animals.
The outcome for the animals will be from “the worst to the best case scenario,” said Bell. Some are expected to be in such poor health that they will not survive. Others will fare better and may be able to be adopted. He said that fleas are an issue and all of them need grooming. Seven more veterinarians and other dog handlers will be at MetraPark to help in the continuing processing of the animals and their care.
“We are hoping that Kapsa will release the dogs to Yellowstone County so that we can dispose of them as appropriate. But if she does not then the dogs will have to be kept by the county as evidence.”
The county has set up a fund, said Bell, to accept contributions for food and health care, and some contributions have already been received, in addition to the volunteer services of many citizens and professionals.
Bell said that his department began investigating conditions for animals at the site after receiving citizen complaints.
Besides dogs, there are other animals on the property including horses, goats and cockatiels. Bell said that while he knew there were three horses, he did not know the number of the other animals.
Approximately 50 pugs reported to be on the property were not found, according to the sheriff’s department after the seized animals had been gathered at MetraPark on Tuesday afternoon.
After inspection, veterinarian Amanda Thomas said the dogs were in better condition than she expected, but generally suffered from matted coats, parasites and exposure.
Veterinarian Amy Lamm said the condition of the dogs ran the gamut from being very poor to very good.
Fewer dogs and puppies were found than expected. Some speculated that some had succumbed to the severe cold weather since the first warrant was served on Dec. 11. On Tuesday, 12 more dogs were found dead in addition to the 13 found on Dec. 11, said Undersheriff Jay Bell.
Exposure seems to be the biggest issue with these dogs, said Thomas.
The veterinarians are microchipping the dogs and vaccinating them for rabies and Parvo virus. Some of the dead dogs found on the property Dec. 11 were found to have Parvo, which means the property itself is contaminated and would need remediation.
The county has hired a caretaker for the dogs until their fate is determined.
On Tuesday afternoon, Deputy County Attorney Dan Schartz said no official charges were filed yet. “The prosecutor assigned to the case will review the results of the search and seizure and decide on charges at that time.”
He added, “I would assume that a time frame of a week for a final decision on the case would be in order. The sentence will depend on what is eventually charged (if anything).”
Kapsa claims harassment: ‘They are trying to bury me’
by Rebecca Tescher Robison
BALLANTINE – On Tuesday morning, Dec. 30, Linda Kapsa and her son Dave Reisdorf sat on a public road alongside her property and watched as the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Department and the United States Humane Society removed dogs from the property on Road 14 South, Ballantine.
Kapsa said she was served a search warrant at about 8 a.m. that morning and watched as a caravan of vehicles pulled up next to her property and prepared to seize the canines.
This action follows a raid on Dec. 11 when the sheriff’s department seized 13 dogs, two cats and a litter of pug puppies.
Yellowstone County Sheriff Lieutenant and incident commander Mike Schieno oversaw the operation, which was expected to last a couple of days. Working against a brutally cold wind, his team captured dogs that were living in kennels, buildings and some free roaming. The team of deputies, Humane Society volunteers, National Guard and volunteers worked to bring the dogs in as evidence against Kapsa.
At one point in the morning, individuals from the county health department were also at the scene and making inspections inside the mobile home next to the county road.
Workers carried canines from many of the various outbuildings on the property and expected that it would take at least a couple days to complete the evidence collection process.
Kapsa, watching the operation and speaking from her burgundy sedan, railed on the animal control division, her ex-husband and the Humane Society. With anger in her eyes and anger in her voice, she said, “They are trying to bury me.”
“This is a big media thing between (Animal Control Director) John Fleming and (my ex-husband) John Reisdorf,” she said. “It is harassment. My attorney wasn’t even notified until after the search warrant was served.”
She estimated she had 150 dogs on the property. The sheriff’s department and Humane Society removed over 200.
Kapsa also said her troubles started after a party came to see English Shepherd puppies last June. She admitted the conditions weren’t the best, since the area had just received four inches of rain.
“I am not part of that English Shepherd clique. I am not part of any clique and this is a set up,” she said.
She also said the Humane Society was part of the plan to destroy her dog breeding operation. “The Humane Society is out to destroy all animals, they are just looking for donations and to make a name for themselves. Look what they did to the horse market.”
“The Humane Society doesn’t want anyone breeding dogs,” she said. “They just want them to be rescued.”
Kapsa questioned if she will be charged by the county to pay for the dogs’ feed. She said she spends over $600 per week to feed her dogs.
“I buy a pallet of dog feed from TSC each week and it costs over $600,” she said.
Dogs seized were tagged, numbered and entered into evidence. They were transported to the Metra where they were vet checked and held as evidence.
Since they remain Kapsa’s property, they are not available for adoption, said Dave Pauli of the Humane Society.
Many of the first animals rescued appeared to be in good health condition; however, the stench from the animals was deplorable as they were being brought out in traveling kennels and stacked into horse trailers.
This is not the first run-in between Yellowstone County and Kapsa.
Yellowstone County paid Kapsa $45,000 to cover her legal expenses and reimburse her for personal property after the county performed an abatement on the property in December of 2003.
Feel free to view Yellowstone County News archives.
The Yellowstone County News is a weekly newspaper publication that is published every Friday. The Yellowstone County News covers Yellowstone County in specifically Billings Heights, Shepherd, Huntley, Lockwood, Worden, Ballantine, Pompey's Pillar, and Custer, Montana.
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