Every so often, you meet somebody that has a way of polarizing people, despite – or perhaps because of — having the best of intentions. Such is the case with Andi Elliott, who runs the Upper Valley Humane Society.
Her effort to save an injured dog in Jefferson County resulted in a trespassing charge filed against her. The problem, is that she did everything right. She civilly worked with the dog’s owner, law enforcement, and neighbors to try and get some help for the injured nursing mother dog that had been hit. The dog was suffering from a broken hip and leg.
While I’ve had no prior problem with the Sheriff of Jefferson County, Blair Olsen, I have to stop and wonder what in the world is happening when law enforcement officers are enforcing the law, but only selectively.
Three or four callers to my show, both commenting and voting in a Flash Poll, seemed to think looking the other way when an animal is hurt is ok. Fortunately, however, the vast majority calling in Thursday understand the concept of minimizing suffering among all of God’s creatures.
While normally I lovingly ridicule the “pet people” of the world, I stand with them on this issue. I think most of us do.
I’m not calling for the Sheriff’s ouster, nor do I think there needs to be a big investigation. Revenge isn’t really important here. What is important is for officers to enforce all the laws, including laws against cruel treatment and neglect of animals.
I applaud Andi Elliott. Sometimes we have to break a lower law to keep a higher one. She did that and she should be praised, not prosecuted.
(Posted by Neal Larson at http://nlsradio.blogspot.com/)
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Gato got runned over by Marcus many moons ago. Be ye daft, 2486? 
Let's have a new poll, alright, Joe?
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
I totally agree that Andi should be praised for what she did. Law enforcement had at least 3 chances to do the right thing and they dropped the ball. Nobody should have the right to own a pet that they leave outside in the cold with multiple untreated broken bones while she is nursing puppies. Not all pet owners can afford to take their dog to the vet every time something comes up, but I think that in this case, the help was available and the pet owner just didn’t care enough. The pet owner should face criminal charges, not Andi Elliott. Depending on how this plays out I may stop doing business in Jefferson County.
Neal is completely right. What was the Sheriff thinking. He is responsible for the actions of his Deputies, and when his officer failed to properly handle the case, he needed to step in.
Why is it okay to Cite Elliott and the rescue worker, but nothing was done to cite the owner who chose on purpose to ignore the suffering of the dog after being contacted repeatedly.
When the Sheriff was contacted about the lack of response, he refused to return phone calls to the local media. This shows that he did not want to address the concerns that had been raised.
Having had occasion to try to contact the Sheriff in the past about a serious concern, I found that he refuses to return calls when he knows that his officers were in the wrong. I even went as far as meeting with the County Commissioners who assured me that he would contact me about my concerns. Again no response from the Sheriff.
Sheriff Olsen fails to understand that he is employed by the people of the County. He should be the first to address any problems that occur within his County. If he is not responding to the voice of the people, then it is time that the votes show that he does not deserve the position of Sheriff.
Kudos to Ms. Elliott you went through the proper channels to correct the problem, it is unfortunate they tried to make and example out of you. They only did this because there was some type of favortism given to the owner of the dog. They are supposed to enforce the law equally, which in this case was not done.
I think part of the reason you see division on this issue is the fact that Elliot in her other endeavors has shown herself to be a hate filled racist. Even the local paper will no longer take her letters due to her vitriol.
What she did in this case for the dogs is the right thing but sometimes it hard to look past the person to see the action.
I don’t agree with Andi’s political views either but that has nothing to do with this situation.
Well Sheriff Olsen of Jefferson County has outdid himself this time. We know that he issued a citation against Andi Elliott. Under State Code the person would have to be warned and then returned to the property without permission for this to be valid.
He has now issued a felony warrant against the rescue worker who came to the scene and then transported the animal to the vet for treatment.
The rescue worker indicates that the owner agreed to allow him to take the animals for treatment. The hip and leg that were fracture were fixed by a vet at no expense to the owner.
Then comes the part where the owner informs the rescue worker that Sheriff Olsen is the one who has encouraged the felony charging of the rescue worker. This stinks like a red herring. Sheriff Olsen is upset at the bad press that he and his office are getting. He feels that Andi and the rescue worker are meddling in the affairs that he thinks only he (Olsen) controls.
Ask anyone who works in law enforcement about this case and if they will answer you honestly, they will say that the actions of the Sheriff are not normal.
When the Sheriff wrote his letter to the Post Register he attempted to deflect responsibility of his office and the actions or inactions of his officers on the case. The one and most important question that needs to be asked, but has been avoided repeatedly. Did the Sheriff cite the owner for Animal Cruelty. He allowed the animal to remain injured without treatment for days. The Sheriff wants to state that the code allows him the ability to decide if the owner can or cannot afford the treatment. I would suggest that Sheriff Olsen review the State Code as it does not have those provisions listed as he suggests.
I would suggest that Andi or anyone who had observed the injury to the animal to fill out a written statement and then sign a complaint against the owner. After all the Sheriff hasn’t done this despite obvious evidence that would support such a charge.
This is a travesty of justice. It clearly opens up the County for lawsuits from both parties who were doing their best to help the animals when the owner and Sheriff refused.
This should be a wakeup call for those who live within Jefferson County. The Sheriff has over-reacted on the part of the rescue workers, he has under-reacted on the part of citing the owner of the dog. When being contacted by the media for a response, he ignores the requests and hopes that it will go away. This is not leadership. This shows clearly that a change needs to be made and that a credible leader needs to be placed in the position that Olsen currently holds.
Well that’s the last straw for me. I spent a few thousand bucks in Jefferson County this year but I won’t be supporting that county anymore. I also had some property stolen in Jefferson County in 2009 and got absolutely no help from the sheriff’s office. Sounds like they have other priorities. This stinks.
You would think they would be a little more careful about these types of things. With the internet and everyone talking about things as soon as they happen, opinions are formed in a matter of minutes… something anyone with a face in the public would do well to remember.
A lot of people start to go off the deep end before Christmas. Perhaps the Sheriff is one of them….
There will be a meeting Monday, Dec. 14th at 11 am with the Jefferson County commissioners to look into this situation. If you feel strongly about this issue, please send an email to one or all of the commissioners at the email addresses listed below and attend the meeting Monday is support of Mr. Jackson and Ms. Elliott.
Thank you ~
Jefferson County Commissioner
210 Courthouse Way, Suite 140
Rigby, ID 83442
Email for individual commissioners:
Tad Hegsted, Chairman
rthegsted@hotmail.com
Ron Baxter
tirefactory2002@yahoo.com
Debbie Karren
dkarren@co.jefferson.id.us
Michelle Harrington, Deputy County Administrator
210 Courthouse Way, Suite 130
Rigby, ID 83442
(208)745-0868
mharrington@co.jefferson.id.us
It isn’t about Christmas. I know a family who has been trying to get the sheriff’s office to investigate stolen property for a couple of months now. Are we going to say he’s just one of those who goes off the deep end at Halloween too? When is he not off the deep end? No good. It appears, after reading this, the sheriff helps and protects those he favors and won’t do anything to help or protect anyone else.
if only andi elliott had as much empathy for her fellow man as she does for animals.
It appears that Sheriff Olsen needs to remember who really pays his wages. How many other issues have been swept under the rug because he didn’t want to properly deal with them?
It may very well be that the dog’s owner could not afford to pay for medical treatment for his pet, however there are several local dog rescue organizations that would have been more than willing to help cover the costs of medical treatment. There is no excuse for anyone to knowingly leave an injured animal to suffer, including the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Dept.. The dog’s owner is the one who should be facing charges. The world would be a far better place if everyone had the guts to stand up for the right things as Troy Jackson has done.
In my opinion, this story just exemplifies why people don’t want to get involved.
Just like the guy who goes to jail for shooting an intruder, or the one where an accident victim sues a person trying to save their life with CPR and breaks their ribs, you’re forced to decide if helping someone will ultimately make your own life hell.
The above stories may or may not be urban legends, but they are entirely possible. In any case, I’m thankful that there are people that don’t worry about these things when they decide to help another person or animal.
This sheriff is a joke and an embarrassment to Jefferson County – get rid of him! I will definitely be sending a campaign contribution to whoever his opponent is in the next election. Olson is the laughing stock of law enforcement in Idaho.
JD is absolutely right. Sheriffs in Idaho believe that they are not accountable to anyone because they are elected. Our County Commissioners claim that they have no authority to act in behalf of the public when there is an issue with the Sheriff. This is one of the main reasons why the public was in favor of term limits as people like Olsen believe that they are entitled to the position of Sheriff. What the public does not realize is that the Idaho Sheriffs Association placed great amounts of money into defeating the term limit law despite the fact that the public voted twice for the law.,
The Sheriffs in Idaho, cannot be investigated by Peace Officer Standards and Training like any other Law Enforcement Officer. These officials sit on the board that proposed the laws that govern Law Enforcement, but chose to eliminate their group from the same enforcement action that is applicable to anyone else. This is a serious double standard that exists in Idaho, but not in other states. This clearly shows that there is a Good Ole Boy Syndrome that is and has been at work in Jefferson County and with the Sheriffs in the State of Idaho.
I hope that the protest that is planned for next week shows the community that Olsen has no ability to be in this leadership position. It is time that Olsen file charges against Torres for Animal Cruelty and Allowing a Dog to Run at Large. If he is unwilling to do this and continues his campaign against the two rescue workers, then it is clear that he is unfit to stay in the position of Sheriff and should step down immediately and turn it over to someone who has the ability to talk to the public and do his job fairly and appropriately. He has failed miserably as a Leader let alone the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the County. Hand in your resignation Mr. Olsen.