Georgia Animal Crimes Prosecutor Jessica Rock gives keynote address during Clayton State University’s Laker Wildlife Initiative summit. (DorMiya Vance/WABE)
Prosecutors are aiming to prevent future animal and wildlife crimes in Georgia after a man was sentenced to nearly 500 years in prison in connection with dogfighting earlier this year.
In February, Paulding County’s Vincent Burrell was sentenced to 475 years in prison for facilitating dogfights.
“Burrell was found guilty of 103 counts, 93 counts of Dog Fighting and 10 counts of Cruelty to Animals, following a four-day-long jury trial,” said the Paulding County District Attorney’s Office in January.
Jessica Rock serves as Georgia’s Animal Crimes Prosecutor and was involved in the Paulding County case, during which over 100 dogs were seized.
“For animal-related criminal activity, we don’t see the judges coming down on even the wildlife traffickers as much as we would hope, right? So, I believe that the more we can bring awareness to the horrors of what we see, the more that judges will understand the need for us to appropriately sentenced to get justice in these cases,” Rock said.
The prosecutor added that awareness is crucial because sentencing, especially in the case of Burell, is rare and can usually fly under the radar.
“Wildlife crime is not always treated with the seriousness that it deserves,” she noted. “And there’s not always strong deterrents, meaning the sentences that we see for new and repeat offenders, which end up leaving our wildlife at risk.”
According to FBI NIBRS data compiled by the Animal Welfare Institute, there were over 1,000 animal cruelty offenses reported in Georgia in 2023.
Images depicting seized hunting weapons and deer remnants from a crime scene featured in State Animal Crimes Prosecutor Jessica Rock’s keynote address. (DorMiya Vance/WABE)
Rock spoke on specific crimes in the state, like illegal fishing and hunting, during a keynote address at Clayton State University on Wednesday during the school’s first Laker Wildlife Initiative summit.
The Laker Wildlife Initiative is a training program for students and professionals on how to tackle wildlife crime and environmental threats. It was officially held in May of this year.
“There’s the same forensic evidence there that there is at a human crime scene,” said Andrea Allen, a Clayton State Criminal Justice Professor and co-lead of the program.
“Some … may be more interested in the human side, and we can do that. And somebody may be interested in the animal side, and they can do that.”
And these types of crimes can go beyond animal abuse, including the poaching and trafficking of wildlife. Andro Vos, founder of the Wildlife Forensic Academy in South Africa, says he’s witnessed such crime scenes.
“Four rhinos were killed, and one was walking with a bullet in its head. These animals are nearly extinct, and this crime scene was so huge that the whole international press was there because it was quite rare to see four animals at one time killed,” Vos said.
He is working with the Laker Wildlife Initiative to establish study abroad opportunities for those interested in wildlife crime and forensics.
Established as the Wildlife Forensic Academy, it provides training to individuals in the field of forensics through hands-on courses.
“If you can mobilize forensic knowledge and rangers have knowledge about forensics and more police officers, we can combat wildlife crime,” Vos said.
