Source: https://www.hugssociety.org/programs/stop-cruelty-campaign/local-laws/193-west-virginia.html
Timestamp: 2017-06-27 19:15:33
Document Index: 3193080

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 7', '§ 7', '§ 7', '§ 7', '§ 7', '§ 7', '§ 8', '§ 61']

West Virginia | Local Laws | Stop Cruelty Campaign | Programs
West Virginia	WEST VIRGINIA STATUTES
§ 7-10-1 Deputy sheriffs as humane officers. The sheriff of each county of this state shall annually designate, by a record made in the office of the clerk of the county commission, one of his or her deputies to act as humane officer of the county; or, if the county commission and sheriff agree, the county dog warden may be designated to act as the humane officer or as an additional humane officer; any person designated to act as a humane officer and all peace officers designated by law as a humane officer or an additional humane officer shall investigate all complaints made to him or her of cruel or inhumane treatment of animals within the county and he or she shall personally see that the law relating to the prevention of cruelty to animals is enforced. The wilful failure of such designee to investigate any complaint made to him or her and to take proper measures in such case or to perform his or her duty in any other respect may constitute good cause for removal from employment.
§ 7-10-2 Duty of humane officers; interference with. It is the duty of such officers to prevent the perpetration or continuance of any act of cruelty upon any animal and to investigate, and upon probable cause, to cause the arrest and assist in the prosecution of any person engaging in such cruel and forbidden practices. Upon reasonable cause, and as provided by law, such officers have the right to access and inspection of records and property as may be reasonably necessary to any investigation. Any person who interferes with, obstructs or resists any such officer in the discharge of his duty is guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than one hundred nor more than five hundred dollars, or confined in the county jail not more than thirty days, or both so fined and confined. Any such penalties are in addition to any penalties such person may incur for cruel or inhumane treatment of any animal.
§ 7-10-3 Cruel treatment of animal drawing or in vehicle; custody and care thereof by humane officers.
When any person arrested is, at the time of such arrest, in charge of any vehicle drawn by or containing any animal cruelly treated, such officer shall take charge of such animal and of such vehicle and its contents, and of the animal or animals drawing the same, and shall, if the person in charge thereof be not the owner, give notice of such seizure to the owner, and provide for them until their owner shall take charge of the same; and if the person in charge of or driving such animals be the owner thereof, the same shall not be returned to him until he has been tried for the offense and acquitted, or if convicted, until he shall give bond in the penalty of five hundred dollars with approved security before the tribunal trying the case conditioned not to again cruelly treat such animals; and the officer shall have a lien upon such animals and the vehicle and its contents for the expenses of such care and provision, or such expenses or any part thereof remaining unpaid may be recovered by such humane officer in a civil action.
§ 7-10-4 Custody and care of animals abandoned, neglected or cruelly treated; hearing; liability for costs; exclusions. (a) A humane officer shall take possession of any animal, including birds or wildlife in captivity, known or believed to be abandoned, neglected, deprived of necessary sustenance, shelter or medical care or cruelly treated or used, as defined in sections nineteen and nineteen-a [ss 61-8-19 and 61-8-19a], article eight, chapter sixty-one of this code.
(c) Upon finding of such probable cause, or if no hearing is requested, if the magistrate finds probable cause based upon the affidavit of the humane officer, the magistrate shall enter an order authorizing any humane officer to maintain possession of the animal pending further proceedings, appeal or the disposition of any criminal charges pursuant to chapter sixty-one of this code.
(e) If, after the humane officer takes possession of the animal pursuant to the finding of probable cause, it is determined by a licensed veterinarian that the animal should be humanely destroyed to end its suffering, the veterinarian may order the animal to be humanely destroyed according to acceptable humane standards and neither the humane officer nor the veterinarian may be subject to any civil or criminal liability as a result of any such determination.
(f) The provisions of this section do not apply to farm livestock, poultry, gaming fowl or wildlife kept in private or licensed game farms if kept and maintained according to usual and accepted standards of livestock, poultry, gaming fowl, wildlife or game farm production and management, nor to the humane use of animals or activities regulated under and in conformity with the provisions of 7 U.S.C. s 2131 et seq. and the regulations promulgated thereunder, as both such statutes and regulations are in effect on the effective date of this section.
§ 7-10-4a Reporting of animals abandoned, neglected or cruelly treated; enforcement. (a) It is the duty of any licensed veterinarian and the right of any other person to report to a humane officer any animal found, reasonably known or believed to be abandoned, neglected or cruelly treated as set forth in this article, and such veterinarian or other person may not be subject to any civil or criminal liability as a result of such reporting.
(b) Any person who, with force, assaults, resists, or impedes any other person engaged in the reporting of abandoned, neglected or cruelly treated animals as provided for in this section is guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than two hundred fifty nor more than one thousand dollars, or confined in the county jail not more than one year, or both so fined and confined.
§ 7-10-5 Destruction of animals. Any such officer may lawfully destroy or cause to be destroyed any animal in his charge, when in the judgment of such humane officer, and by the written certificate of a regularly licensed veterinary surgeon, such animal appears to be injured, disabled, diseased past recovery, or the animal is unclaimed. CHAPTER 8. MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS.
PART III. GENERAL POWERS OF MUNICIPALITIES AND GOVERNING BODIES.
§ 8-12-5 General powers of every municipality and the governing body thereof. In addition to the powers and authority granted by (i) the constitution of this state, (ii) other provisions of this chapter, (iii) other general law, and (iv) any charter, and to the extent not inconsistent or in conflict with any of the foregoing except special legislative charters, every municipality and the governing body thereof shall have plenary power and authority therein by ordinance or resolution, as the case may require, and by appropriate action based thereon:
(26) To regulate or prohibit the keeping of animals or fowls and to provide for impounding, sale or destruction of animals or fowls kept contrary to law or found running at large;
(27) To arrest, convict and punish any person for cruelly, unnecessarily or needlessly beating, torturing, mutilating, killing or overloading or overdriving, or willfully depriving of necessary sustenance, any domestic animal; CHAPTER 61. CRIMES AND THEIR PUNISHMENT.
§ 61-8-19 Cruelty to animals; penalties; exclusions. (a) If any person cruelly mistreats, abandons or withholds proper sustenance, including food, water, shelter or medical treatment necessary to sustain normal health and fitness or to end suffering or abandons any animal to die, or uses, trains or possesses any domesticated animal for the purpose of seizing, detaining or maltreating any other domesticated animal, he or she is guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars, or confined in the county jail not more than six months, or both so fined and confined.
(b) Any person, other than a licensed veterinarian or a person acting under the direction or with the approval of a licensed veterinarian, who knowingly and willfully administers or causes to be administered to any animal participating in any contest any controlled substance or any other drug for the purpose of altering or otherwise affecting said animal's performance is guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars.
(e) The provisions of this section do not apply to lawful acts of hunting, fishing, trapping or animal training or farm livestock, poultry, gaming fowl or wildlife kept in private or licensed game farms if kept and maintained according to usual and accepted standards of livestock, poultry, gaming fowl or wildlife or game farm production and management, nor to humane use of animals or activities regulated under and in conformity with the provisions of 7 U.S.C. s 2131 et seq. and the regulations promulgated thereunder, as both such statutes and regulations are in effect on the effective date of this section.
(f) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, any person convicted of a second violation of said subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be confined in jail for a period of not less than ninety days nor more than one year, fined not less than five hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars, or both. The incarceration set forth in this subsection shall be mandatory unless the provisions of subsection (g) are complied with.
(h) In addition to any other penalty which can be imposed for a violation of this section, a court may, as a condition of probation, prohibit any person so convicted from possessing or owning any animal or type of animal during the period of probation. Prev	Next Latest News