The attorneys for a man facing over 400 felony animal cruelty counts have requested that he be evaluated for competency, while the defendant has contested the assessment.
Jerry Hine, charged with 408 counts, was set to go to trial on Monday, Feb. 2; however, Counsel Kimberly Miller requested a stay from District Judge Sarah Bridge on the morning of Jan. 27 while they filed for a competency assessment after speaking with him and finding previous medical records regarding his mental health.
At a hearing later that afternoon, Counsel Shelly Levisay provided Hines with the paperwork and presented the request to Bridge again, stating that it would be malpractice on the defense’s part not to file for the assessment. She said they found records of a previous commitment.
“I feel like even if he doesn’t agree with that course of action, we ethically have to file this at this point based on what we read in that report,” she said.
Hine contested the need for a competency evaluation and stated that he had inadequate counsel. Judge Bridge ordered him to return on Friday morning after speaking with his counsel more, and they would see where his case would go from there. Hine was arrested on July 15 after over 400 Maltese dogs and puppies were seized from his business, Add Love Pets, LLC, through a joint operation involving the Stroud Police Department, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the Humane Society of Tulsa and other animal shelters. The animals were found to have been kept in overcrowded and unhygienic conditions, according to court documents.
Many of the dogs had hair matted with feces and sores. The probable cause affidavit also said that many were afraid of human interaction. The dogs were taken in by the Humane Society and other animal shelters, which worked to rehabilitate and adopt them out.
Hine pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Sept. 16 and has pushed to go to trial at every hearing since.