Marble man arrested for animal cruelty

James William Patterson

The following press release has been issued by Cherokee County Sheriff's Office.  All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

Murphy, NC —  Cherokee County Sheriff Derrick Palmer announced the July 15, 2015 arrest of James William Patterson a 59-year-old Marble, North Carolina man for cruelty to animals.

On or about July 12, 2015, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office responded to the convenience site located at the Cherokee County Landfill to investigate a suspicious incident.

During the initial investigation, a small female goat was discovered to have been placed in several plastic garbage bags which had been tied up. The garbage bags containing the female goat were then abandoned in one of the dumpsters. The responding deputy removed the bags and the goat and contacted a local rescue organization to provide care for the goat.

During the investigation of the incident, video footage from surveillance cameras provided a tag number of the vehicle that had been used to transport the goat to the convenience site. From that information, an investigator was able to identify Patterson as the person that had abandoned the goat at the landfill.

Upon learning of the existence of charges, Patterson surrendered himself to the Cherokee County Detention Center. Patterson was placed under a $2,500.00 unsecured bond and is scheduled to be in Cherokee County District Court on July 29th, 2015.

Sheriff Palmer encourages any one that has information to report it by  calling the anonymous tip line at 828-837-1344 or emailing a tip to crime.tips@cherokeecounty-nc.gov or call 911 if you observe a crime in progress.

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