WAYNE COUNTY - Denial to work in Wayne County as a Humane Officer is what Elizabeth Anderson heard on July 26, 2005 from the Honorable Robert J. Conway. She admitted to purposefully omitting information to Wayne County District Attorney Michael Lehutsky when she requested a search warrant during an alleged animal abuse case.

The case began in Oct. 2004 when the Mountain Region Humane Society, Hawley, received a call of a possible pony abuse case in Lake Ariel. Humane Office at the time for Mountain Region, Ms. Elizabeth Anderson immediately investigated the situation.

Ms. Anderson found the horse to be experiencing blindness, a large growth-type mass was seen on the pony's rear causing the tail to be extended beyond its normal position and she observed laminitis. Enacting her authority at that time, Ms. Anderson informed the owner of the pony, Ruth Heal, that she needed to have the pony (Candy) under a veterinarian's care. Ms. Anderson also sought the service of a farrier to trim the pony's hooves which appeared to Ms. Anderson to have been overlooked for some time.

Henry Nebzydoski, DVM, visited the pony and although he wrote a note stating that euthanasia was one possible consideration at that time, he did not emphasize that euthanasia was the only solution. He also wrote that he felt the pony was not a case of abuse and that he would testify to such in court. Ms. Anderson was privy to Dr. Nebzydoski's written statements. D.A. Lehutsky said if he had seen this information when Ms. Anderson made her request he would have not issued the search warrant. The only information D.A. Lehutsky was shown by Humane Officer Ms. Anderson, were notes indicating possible abuse.

When Ms. Anderson went to reapply as a Humane Officer in Wayne County, D.A. Lehutsky challenged the application on the grounds she acted in an illegal fashion to obtain a search warrant from him by withholding information.