State AG hits former Tri-Cities animal shelter managers with nearly 50 cruelty charges

KENNEWICK – Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson has the embattled former leaders of the Tri-Cities Animal Shelter in his sights after a yearslong investigation into animal cruelty at the shelter under Neo Nation’s watch.

Former Neo’s Nation director Rebecca Howard, 46, and office manager Justin Hernandez, 36, and the nonprofit itself have been hit with nearly 50 total charges relating to animal cruelty, according to a news release from Ferguson’s office.

Howard, Hernandez and Neo’s Nation have each been charged with two counts of felony first-degree animal cruelty and 14 counts of second-degree animal cruelty, a gross misdemeanor.

If convicted Howard and Hernandez face up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for each of the felony charges and up to a year in prison and a $5,000 fine for each of the gross misdemeanors.

Neo’s Nation faces a fine of up to $500,000 for each felony charge and $250,000 for each of the gross misdemeanors, which would be a total of $4.5 million if convicted on every charge and sentenced to pay the maximum amounts.

Howard was previously charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty in Pasco Municipal Court, but that case was dropped, then the investigation was referred to Benton County because Pasco owns the shelter facility, and eventually ended up being investigated by Grant County.

The Attorney General’s Environmental Protection Division is prosecuting the case. It is being handled by Assistant Attorney General Scott Halloran, paralegal Virginia Castro and legal assistant Sydney Stern.

Howard and Hernandez are expected to make an initial plea in Franklin County Superior Court in November.

Legal issues, embezzlement

Neo’s Nation took over management of the Tri-Cities Animal Shelter in January 2021.

In October of that year, Neo’s Nation’s Chief Financial Officer Julie Chambers was arrested on embezzlement charges after she allegedly stole more than $300,000 to buy a house. She then rented that house to her daughter, who contacted police when she learned the circumstances of the purchase.

Her daughter told investigators Chambers had said she was planning to sell the house quickly and move to California.

Chambers is not charged with animal cruelty, but she has been charged with first-degree theft and money laundering, both felonies, and is expected to face trial for the embezzlement next year.

Investigators said Howard, Hernandez and Chambers voted to give themselves $25,000 in bonuses with no other board members present.

At the same time, the nonprofit allegedly developed a pattern of failing to provide necessary care, nutrition, sanitation and medical attention to animals at the shelter, according to court documents.

Neo’s Nation’s contract was terminated about a month later after 30 cats and four dogs were removed from the shelter because they were sick or malnourished.

Animal cruelty

The alleged animal cruelty came to light when employees and volunteers began to express concerns to local animal clinics.

After hearing from employees and volunteers, veterinarian Denise Wilson with Horse Heaven Hills Pet Urgent Care arranged to begin doing weekly visits, according to court documents.

Then, in October 2021 a Pasco animal control officer, Cherie Jackson, called Pasco police to report animal abuse. Pasco Detective Julie Lee initiated the animal cruelty and neglect case.

Jackson reported Howard and Hernandez were the sole decision-makers for medical decisions for the animals at the shelter.

Jackson quit working at the shelter and quit her position as a board member for Neo’s Nation over the neglect of a dog named Brandt, according to court documents. The dog was seemingly healthy when he entered the shelter on Sept. 7 and then quickly deteriorated.

Howard and Hernandez allegedly refused to take any action after multiple volunteers told them the dog had stopped eating.

Jackson took Brandt to the Horse Heaven Hills clinic and he was diagnosed with kidney failure, which can be caused by starvation and prolonged malnutrition, according to the documents.

Hernandez allegedly wanted to euthanize Brandt, but Horse Heaven Hills released the dog to Forgotten Dogs Rescue, which specializes in care for “hopeless” pit bulls and terriers.

The dog died soon after. A second veterinarian told investigators Brandt could have been saved if he was given proper medical attention just a week or two earlier.

Jackson provided photos of multiple neglected cats , and documentation that most were healthy when first arriving at the shelter.

Despite Howard claiming she was “vet certified” in her bid for the contract, investigators found no evidence she had medical qualifications to treat animals.

Investigators said Hernandez implied he was a registered veterinary technician, despite not having the necessary education or credentials, officials said. He was an unregistered veterinary assistant, who could not legally perform any tasks on an animal unless under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian or vet tech, including care as limited as ear flushing or bandaging animals, according to court documents.

When a search warrant was executed on Nov. 11, 2021, investigators found multiple dogs in a laundry room that were so emaciated they needed immediate medical care. They also found multiple crates of healthy kittens intermingled with cats that a veterinarian determined were extremely sick and infected, according to the documents.

In an unheated outbuilding, with a sign saying it was closed to the public, investigators found dozens of cats stacked in crates three-high, with multiple cats in each crate. The outbuilding was infested with mice and appeared to have not been cleaned in months.

Investigators believe hundreds of cats were moved into that building to hide them from the public’s view. Volunteers were barred from entering the outbuilding, and the animals were not brought to the veterinarian making weekly visits, according to the documents.

The veterinarian told investigators most of the cats were “in dire need of intervening medical attention.” Many were suffering from severe and painful respiratory and eye infections, according to the documents. Many of those cats ended up needing to have their eyes surgically removed.

Multiple malnourished dogs were also found, as well as kittens sneezing blood.

One puppy named Romeo weighed just 22 pounds when he was removed from the shelter. In just two weeks with proper care, he had gained nearly 10 pounds.

One kitten developed an eye infection in the shelter and had the eye surgically removed, then was further neglected after the surgery. When she was removed from the shelter, the kitten was sneezing blood and had inflamed inner eyelids. The veterinarians said there was no reason the cat should have lost an eye based on her intake document showing she was healthy.

Both animals were eventually restored to health.

Howard and Hernandez were also accused of ignoring the advice of professionals and failing to implement recommended changes . At least 15 animal control officers, shelter employees and volunteers quit in protest .

The condition of more than a dozen animals were included in the court documents, showing most had been healthy upon intake and developed severe medical conditions within just weeks of being under the care of Neo’s Nation.

When Detective Julie Lee notified the city of her findings, Pasco served Howard and Hernandez with termination letters and trespassed them from the property, citing “dangerous, illegal, unsafe or disruptive” conduct.

The attorney general’s office alleges Howard and Hernandez’s actions suggest “consciousness of guilt” meaning they knew what they were doing was wrong or illegal.

Since the contract was terminated in November 2021, residents have regularly questioned when there would be accountability. The Benton Franklin Humane Society took over the shelter for about a year before the city of Pasco took over permanent management.

In April, advocates demanded the city set up a Citizen Advisory Board.

No movement has been made on that front, but the new shelter director has worked to implement better standards for transparency with residents. A new shelter building also is currently under construction near the current facility.