By Mondell Keck | The Brookings Register
BROOKINGS — Two men are facing allegations of animal cruelty following their arrests on Feb. 1 in Brookings.
Billy Bamsey, 49, and Tyshawn Mott, 19, both of Brookings, have each been charged with three counts of cruelty to animals, a Class 6 felony punishable by up to two years in state prison and/or a $4,000 fine. They’re also facing charges related to violations of city ordinances that deal with the care of animals and the sanitary conditions thereof.
The arrests followed an investigation that resulted in three pitbull-mix dogs being seized from a residence in the 500 block of Fourth Street South, according to a Feb. 2 news release.
Information from Brookings Police Department Chief Michael Drake and in probable cause statements released by the Brookings County State’s Attorney’s Office noted the following conditions:
• The dogs were caked in fecal matter and urine.
• The dogs were confined to small kennels for several weeks and appeared not to have been properly fed or watered.
• They were exposed to frigid temperatures in the residence, which had no heat and the water pipes had frozen.
The dogs were taken to Big Sioux Veterinary Clinic, where they were cared for. Drake said Feb. 2 that one dog was in critical but stable condition while the other two were in stable condition.
Bamsey and Mott were taken to the Brookings County Detention Center. Jail records on Feb. 3 showed neither was no longer in custody, with both having been released Feb. 2 on personal recognizance bonds with the following conditions:
• Remain law-abiding.
• Make all court appearances.
• Keep no animals.
Their initial court appearance is set for 9 a.m. March 2 at the Brookings County Courthouse in front of Magistrate Judge Bob Pesall.
— Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
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