The Tri-County Animal Shelter is once again the hot topic on Facebook after a video was uploaded by Val Heines, an animal rescuer from Frankfort, Kentucky.

The video posted graphic content including several dead cats and many cats that were sick inside the Tri-County Animal Shelter this past weekend.

The conditions of the facility were brought in front of the Clinton County Fiscal Court in June and, and with a full house of concerned citizens on hand during the special call meeting, the court listened to concerns and with their best efforts, decided to hire a coordinator to work with the volunteers at the shelter.

Janet Brummett of Albany and Peyton Booher of Burkesville spoke to the court, both saying they would volunteer as coordinator or just to assist with the position.

During a meeting in July, the fiscal court also voted to continue to allow volunteers to help with duties inside the shelter, but added stipulations that volunteers could be in the shelter during normal business hours and while a shelter manager or employee was on duty.

The video that has been posted on Facebook by Heines, according to the Judge/Executive’s office, shows Heines in a room the public isn’t allowed in after business hours.

Deputy Judge Joy Armstrong told the NEWS Monday morning employees at the shelter are supposed to bring the animals out when they are to be picked up when it’s not during normal business hours.

During the week, normal business hours are from 10 a.m until 3 p.m.

According to time stamps on Facebook, the video was taken on Sunday, August 7 and uploaded around 1:45 p.m.

According to Judge/Executive Richard Armstrong, 16 cats were brought into the shelter on Thursday. On Saturday, when Animal Control Officer James Stonecipher was feeding, he noticed a dead cat in one of the cages. Stonecipher pulled the dead animal out of the cage and laid it on the floor.

“He is supposed to tag it and bag it right then, but he went on with his feeding and watering of the animals and when he was done he left,” Armstrong said. “This is not cruelty to animals. This is human error.”

Booher, who was hired by the court to coordinate the volunteers said she had scheduled a time with Heines on Sunday because she couldn’t make it to the shelter during the week.

“During the last two weeks we’ve had 50 dogs and 40 cats rescued,” Booher said. “I really think it’s going in the right direction. I’ve even talked about how much better it looked.”

“When I went in the cat room I opened the door and there was a dead kitten in the floor,” Booher said. “Some had food and water and some didn’t.”

Booher said the kitten wasn’t there on Friday when she was there and noted someone had to have been there on Saturday if it was laying in the floor, stating someone had come in and fed and watered the animals on Saturday. She said she didn’t realize someone hadn’t already been out there on Sunday, but while she was there, James Stonecipher had come out to the shelter for the animals’ daily feeding.

“It’s not so much that the animal died, but he forgot to put it away,” Booher said. “I don’t want any negative publicity. They have been very helpful to me and they have been doing a good job keeping it clean, but they hadn’t been there yet.”

Booher said they have raised more than $1,600 and hired someone to put dividers between the dog’s kennels so the animals wouldn’t have direct contract with each other. She also stated a organization in Muncie, Indiana has donated a lot of crates and other supplies for the shelter.

The NEWS spoke to Heines on the phone Monday afternoon. After seeing first hand what the video showed, she felt like the community needed to know what was going on in their county.

“I was going to set the crates by the door and all I could see was the dead kitty in the floor,” Heines said. “We aren’t going to shut up and we are going to be a voice for those animals. The public needs to know what is going on in their town. This is animal cruelty and this is wrong.”

Heines expressed her opinion about the shelter and said there needed to be several changes made or it needed to be closed down.

“If this is how he is going to run it then it needs to be shut down and it makes me sick,” Heines said. “This is wrong, it’s not fair and it’s not right to let an animal sit in their filth. Nobody is taking care of them properly. It’s appalling and disgusting and as a Christian I can’t set aside and let this happen. I will call and call and call until that place is shut down or there is someone else is in charge.”

This past weekend wasn’t the first time Heines had been to the Tri-County Shelter. On a previous visit, during normal business hours, she stated she was allowed to walk anywhere she wanted inside the facility.

“This is not fair to these poor animals. God gave us a voice and we are going to use it and we are going to be their voice ,” Heines said. “This can’t continue. They have to shut that place down or hire new management.”

The next fiscal court meeting will be held on August 18 at 5:00 p.m. and is open to the public.