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Jul 05, 2023

More dogs seized from home of Graves County man charged with animal cruelty

Web and social media editor Charles A. Rodgers (center) was arrested Monday,

Web and social media editor

Charles A. Rodgers (center) was arrested Monday, April 3, and the Graves County Sheriff's Office says malnourished and aggressive dogs were seized from his property.

GRAVES COUNTY, KY — A man who was charged 38 counts of second-degree cruelty to animals last October faces new charges after the Graves County Sheriff's Office says he was arrested again on Monday and more dogs were seized from his property.

The sheriff's office says 59-year-old Charles A. Rodgers faces 12 more counts of second-degree animal cruelty and violation of bond conditions.

Deputies began investigating after the sheriff's office says they received complaints of animal neglect and vicious dogs at a home on Kentucky 1124 on the Graves County line with Calloway County.

The sheriff's office says it received a complaint that a pack of dogs was entering private property, and that multiple dogs were seek behaving aggressively toward children who were walking in a wooded area of land owned by a family member. Investigators suspected the dogs belonged to Rodgers and Jennifer Vaughn, who were both arrested in the October 2022 case.

When a deputy arrived at the home on KY 1124, he found about 10 dogs that "were obviously malnourished and acting aggressive," the sheriff's office says in a news release about the Monday arrest.

The sheriff's office says while the deputy was there, no one answered the door of the home. After receiving a court order, deputies seized animals inside and outside the home. While carrying out that court order, the sheriff's office says deputies found Rodgers hiding inside the home.

Investigators say they also found the remains of dead dogs in a burning barrel in the backyard of the home. The sheriff's office claims Rodgers told deputies those dogs had died from canine parvovirus, or parvo.

The sheriff's office says the Graves County Animal Shelter, which also performs animal control duties in Graves County, was called to the scene. "After great difficulty in catching many of the dogs there, animal control from Calloway County arrived to assist," the sheriff's office says. Animal control officers from both counties spent most of the day Monday trying to catch the dogs and take them to the Graves County Animal Shelter, the sheriff's office says.

"After watching these animal control officers and our animal shelter folks working this scene today, I can say how blessed we all are to have them," Graves County Sheriff Jon Hayden says in the news release about the arrest.

Rodgers was jailed in an out-of-county jail.

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