Miss Paula of Olympia; Arrested For 16 Counts of Cruelty to Animals

[john]

Miss Paula Nichols of Olympia, Washington charged with 16 counts of animal
cruelty; two horses put down

BY SCOTT GUTIERREZ

THE OLYMPIAN - Friday, December 16, 2005

OLYMPIA - Criminal charges have been filed against a woman accused of
neglecting the care of numerous horses and dogs she owned.

Paula Nichols, 50, was charged in Thurston County District Court with 16
counts of second-degree animal cruelty, a misdemeanor. Nichols' arraignment
is scheduled for Dec. 29, Deputy Prosecutor Debra Eurich said.

On Dec. 1, sheriffs deputies and Animal Services officials seized 14 horses
and 13 dogs from Nichols ranch near Littlerock after fielding many
complaints about malnourished animals living in filthy conditions on the
property.

Days earlier, Nichols had turned over three horses to Second Chance Ranch,
an nonprofit animal rescue agency near Elma. Authorities said the animals
were in such poor condition that they were forced to take action. One horse
was euthanized, authorities said.

Nichols faces up to 90 days in jail plus a $1,000 court fine and $1,000
civil penalty if convicted.

She has petitioned the court to have the animals returned to her. A hearing
on that issue is set for Jan. 12, Eurich said.

The charges all deal with alleged treatment of the horses. An investigation
is ongoing into how the dogs were treated, Eurich said.

The statute of limitations on animal cruelty is one year, she said.

Nichols said she had adopted the animals from far worse situations with
good intentions.

But officials said they had informed Nichols of improvements she
needed to make to avoid enforcement action and those changes weren't made.

A large problem with the horses was the muddy environment in which they
were living. Some horses were knee-deep in wet mud and manure, causing
serious abscesses to fester on their hooves.

--------------------------------------------------------

When I was a young sperm I spent some time in the company of a few horses.
I found these animals to be loving, intelligent and gentle creatures.

While I am elated to learn Miss Paula Nichols' (formerly of West Hempstead)
sickness is going to be addressed by a court of law, it really pains me to
learn Miss Nichols' has for years been maltreating and neglecting these
beautiful animals.

Had the Nassau County officials I have been complaining about taken action
to address Miss Paula's sickness when she exposed it to them in 2000 and
2001, perhaps these animals would not have suffered? Perhaps there would
have been no need for the good people of Thurston County, Washington to
shell out thousands of dollars in veterinary and related rehabilitation
costs required to bring Miss Nichols' horses and dogs back to reasonable
health?

Thankfully, officials in Thurston County, Washington recognize Paula
Nichols' sickness and have taken action to correct her criminal conduct.

The Olympian.com - Paula Nichols To Be Arraigned In Criminal Court For
Maltreating SIXTEEN Animals

http://www.theolympian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051216/NEWS01/51216
060/

http://www.theolympian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051202/NEWS01/51202
007/1006

These are the folks who rescued Miss Paula Nichols' neglected and
maltreated animals .

http://www.secondchanceranch.org/horserescue/new.html

Quote from above webpage:

12/17/2005 - On December 16, 2005 a second horse confiscated from Miss
Paula's was put to sleep. Sampson was an 8 yr old stallion. It was the
opinion of two vets that his severely absessed hoof condition was not
treatable after almost two weeks of soaking, padding, pain meds,etc. He has
been in horrific pain and walking on three legs for a very long time. The
pain meds were irritating his stomach. In his last weeks, Sampson knew he
was loved. Courageous effort was made to save him.

Paula Nichols, still unaware or unwilling to admit she has done anything
wrong has petitioned the court to return all of her animals. There has been
a huge response to this case by the community - many letters, emails and
phone calls. We need the support of those of you who have spoken out to
plead with the court to NOT return a single animal to her.

________________________________________________


Now that authorities have taken action to address Miss Nichols' sickness,
my holiday season will be just a little brighter. I hope knowing that Miss
Paula's animals have been rescued will make your holiday season a little
cheerier.

Peace...

John

[john]

Woman [Paula Nichols] denies horse abuse

BY SCOTT GUTIERREZ

THE OLYMPIAN - December 30, 2005

OLYMPIA — A Thurston County woman charged with neglecting several horses
she owned, including two that had to be euthanized, pleaded not guilty
Thursday.

Paula Nichols, proprietor of Miss Paula's Ranch north of Littlerock, is
charged with 16 counts of second-degree animal cruelty, which is a
misdemeanor. Because animal cruelty charges carry consecutive penalties,
she could face up to 480 days in jail and up to $32,000 in criminal and
civil fines if convicted.

Criminal charges were filed earlier this month after sheriff's deputies and
animal rescue workers seized 14 horses and 13 dogs from her property with a
search warrant. Officials said they took action after fielding several
complaints about the animals' living conditions and after Nichols ignored
two years of requests to give the animals medical treatment and make
improvements.

The charges relate to the horses. Most were malnourished and some diseased.
They were housed in knee-deep muck and manure. One horse, which she
surrendered shortly before the seizure, had a broken knee and was unable to
walk, and was euthanized soon afterward. Another horse was euthanized after
veterinarians concluded its abscessed hooves were too far advanced to be
treated, according to court documents.

Officials said they took the dogs because they were kept in a large dirty
kennel that was not properly licensed.

The 50-year-old former actress and model, who teaches acting, singing and
horseback riding, cried as she sat before Thurston County District Court
Judge Susan Dubuisson.

Nichols said earlier this month that she had tried to rescue the animals
from worse conditions and got in over her head.

“We entered pleas of not guilty because I don't think my client has done
anything wrong,” said Nichols' attorney, David Lousteau.

Nichols echoed that statement as she walked away from the courthouse.

“I'm hoping that the truth will come out,” she said.

But according to a Web site managed by Second Chance Ranch, a nonprofit
animal rescue agency involved in the investigation, the horses were given
to Nichols in good health. The agency's director, Katie Merwick, said in a
letter filed to the court that it was the worst situation she had seen in
23 years of animal rescue.

Nichols had surrendered three horses to the agency, near Elma, on the
advice of a veterinarian. Their condition is what prompted the timing of
the search warrant.

Nichols has petitioned the court to return all the animals to her care. A
hearing on the matter is set for Jan. 12 in District Court.

A trial date on the criminal charges has not been set.

Her case has generated an overflow of interest from South Sound horse
owners and animal services officials.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a national animal rights
group, also has taken interest in the case, sending a letter to the
prosecutor's office urging that Nichols be prohibited from owning animals
if she is convicted.

Deputy Prosecutor Debra Eurich asked the court Thursday to bar Nichols from
owning any animals while the case is pending.

The judge declined but agreed to sign an order allowing animal services
officers to randomly inspect Nichols' property to check conditions for
other animals living there.

“I want to see her convicted and I want to see her right to own animals
taken away for two years, which is what the law allows,” Eurich said after
the hearing.

The court also could hold Nichols financially responsible for care
administered to the animals after they were seized, Eurich said.

Scott Gutierrez covers courts, crime and law enforcement for The Olympian.
He can be reached at 360-754-5465 or by e-mail at
***@theolympian.com.

http://www.theolympian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200551230012

If this story interests you, when viewing the above link please click on
readers “comments” to read what our fellow citizens have to write about
Miss Nichols. If you have been following my posts you know Miss Nichols is
the psychiatric patient who caused Sergeant Robert S. Piampiano (Old
Brookville PD, NY) to betray the trust of his officers; and a Nassau County
criminal court jury panel of comprised of eight decent county residents.