Controversial Gallatin Vet Faces Charges
Dr. William Baber Charged With 12 Misdemeanor Offenses
POSTED: 4:57 pm CST January 3,
2008
UPDATED: 10:52 pm CST January 3,
2008
GALLATIN, Tenn. -- Criminal charges have been placed against a Sumner County veterinarian after he used a controversial method to put animals to death.
Video: Embattled Sumner County Vet ArrestedDr. William Baber was arrested Thursday morning and charged with 12 misdemeanor offenses, including animal cruelty.The Channel 4 I-team's investigation into euthanasia at the Sumner County animal shelter prompted action by the district attorney's office.Reporter Jeremy Finley first exposed what was happening at the shelter in November.Baber already had his license suspended and his practice temporarily shut down in December."When we found out about the videos, once they were shown on TV, I asked for an investigation," said District Attorney Ray Whitley.Baber was seen in undercover video, first obtained by the I-team, putting to death animals using a heart shot method without sedation."Sometimes [the animals] would live as long as 30 minutes, so that's pretty cruel," said Whitley.The misdemeanor charges filed on Thursday reflect everything the I-team first reported.Channel 4 showed how the cats were treated, which resulted in two counts of animal cruelty.The station exposed the method the dogs were put to death, which resulted in two more cruelty counts.Also reported in Channel 4's stories was that there wasn't any indication of Baber checking for signs of life afterward. This resulted in charges of four counts of violating the humane death act.The fact that many of the animals weren't sedated led to two counts of violating the state's euthanasia law.Finally, Baber will face two counts of falsifying government records.Baber stands by his statement at a disciplinary hearing that he was unaware of state law that prohibited heart shot euthanasias without sedation."If I had known about the statute change, that would have solved a lot of this," said Baber.Baber and his attorney said Thursday that they are evaluating their options.The board ruled in December that Baber cannot resume his practice until April and cannot perform euthanasia at any shelter for five years.
Video: Embattled Sumner County Vet ArrestedDr. William Baber was arrested Thursday morning and charged with 12 misdemeanor offenses, including animal cruelty.The Channel 4 I-team's investigation into euthanasia at the Sumner County animal shelter prompted action by the district attorney's office.Reporter Jeremy Finley first exposed what was happening at the shelter in November.Baber already had his license suspended and his practice temporarily shut down in December."When we found out about the videos, once they were shown on TV, I asked for an investigation," said District Attorney Ray Whitley.Baber was seen in undercover video, first obtained by the I-team, putting to death animals using a heart shot method without sedation."Sometimes [the animals] would live as long as 30 minutes, so that's pretty cruel," said Whitley.The misdemeanor charges filed on Thursday reflect everything the I-team first reported.Channel 4 showed how the cats were treated, which resulted in two counts of animal cruelty.The station exposed the method the dogs were put to death, which resulted in two more cruelty counts.Also reported in Channel 4's stories was that there wasn't any indication of Baber checking for signs of life afterward. This resulted in charges of four counts of violating the humane death act.The fact that many of the animals weren't sedated led to two counts of violating the state's euthanasia law.Finally, Baber will face two counts of falsifying government records.Baber stands by his statement at a disciplinary hearing that he was unaware of state law that prohibited heart shot euthanasias without sedation."If I had known about the statute change, that would have solved a lot of this," said Baber.Baber and his attorney said Thursday that they are evaluating their options.The board ruled in December that Baber cannot resume his practice until April and cannot perform euthanasia at any shelter for five years.
Previous Stories:
- December 13, 2007: Controversial Vet Has License Suspended
- November 14, 2007: Vet Board Reinstates Controversial Doctor
- November 7, 2007: Board Suspends Gallatin Vet's License
- November 7, 2007: Vet Could Lose License Following Cruelty Accusations
- November 2, 2007: Vet's Euthanasia Method Unsettling To Some
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