Return My Illegally Taken Pets.
Return My Illegally Taken Pets.
The Issue
Demand for Justice: Return Our Illegally Seized Pets and End Systemic Corruption in Muncie
To Whom It May Concern, including Federal and State Authorities,
We, the undersigned, are victims of a systemic and corrupt scheme in Muncie, Indiana, where beloved family pets were illegally seized and sold to fund a criminal enterprise within the city government. We demand the immediate return of our animals, a full investigation into the Muncie Animal Shelter's activities under former director Phil Peckinpaugh, and justice for the years of trauma inflicted upon our families.
The Corruption: Pets as Profit
At the heart of this injustice is a brazen financial motive. Evidence from federal indictments (USAO-SDIN PR) confirms that money from the city's general fund, which was inflated by the sale of seized animals, was used to finance illegal kickbacks and other corrupt activities. This system required the complicity of multiple officials, including a corrupt animal control director, law enforcement, and the former mayor's office, who worked in concert to target and silence vulnerable citizens.
A Pattern of Predatory Targeting
The victims of this scheme were not chosen at random. The primary targets were:
Women experiencing domestic violence, divorce, or stalking.
Black men.
And Animal rescues themselves.
This was a deliberate strategy to prey on those who were least likely to have the resources or credibility to fight back.
Victim Testimonies: A Glimpse into the Injustice
The Case of Ashley Morris Mullis: After leaving her husband, Ashley was falsely charged with animal neglect regarding her ex-husband's dogs by Phil Peckinpaugh. Soon after being targeted, Ashley vanished and has not been seen since.
My Story: In October 2013, my family was illegally evicted from our home without due process by an order signed by Judge Peckinpaugh. While two sheriff deputies refused to let us take our pets, Phil Peckinpaugh arrived and assured us we could retrieve them the next day, providing a signed document to that effect. The following day, he reneged, returning only two of our pets and claiming he had already sold the others. He then explicitly threatened me and my children if I continued to fight for the return of my family members. My pets were stolen not for neglect, but for profit.
The Corrupt Network: A Web of Criminality
This pet-theft ring was part of a broader criminal conspiracy, as evidenced by the federal convictions of key figures:
Phil Peckinpaugh (Shelter Director): Resigned amid investigation, later convicted for child molestation and child pornography.
Dennis Tyler (Former Mayor), Jess Neal (Former Police Officer), Craig Nicholes (Building Commissioner): Indicted and/or convicted on federal corruption charges.
Jerry Lee Parks (Former Sheriff's Deputy): Convicted for using his official position to aid his family's drug ring. This same deputy was involved in my illegal eviction, and his associates were later responsible for the murder of my ex-partner.
Mark McKinney (Former Prosecutor): Removed from office for illegal seizures.
This network used the power of their offices to harass, intimidate, and steal from citizens with impunity.
Our Demands
Our pets are not property; they are emotional support and cherished members of our family. Their illegal seizure has caused profound and lasting trauma.
We call on the Department of Justice and the FBI to:
1. Return Our Pets: Facilitate the immediate return of all animals seized under this corrupt scheme.
2. Expand the Investigation: Formally include the illegal seizure and sale of pets in the ongoing federal corruption cases.
3. Prosecute All Involved: Hold every official, from Phil Peckinpaugh to their accomplices in law enforcement, accountable for their crimes against our families.
4. Audit the Shelter: Launch a full, transparent audit of all Muncie Animal Shelter activities from 2012 to the present.
The federal investigation began in 2014. A decade later, we are still fighting for justice. It is time to close this painful chapter, return our family members, and ensure no other family suffers this cruelty again.
Supporting Evidence of Corruption
Here is the information on the federal indictments, however, none list the pets, property, etc that was stolen from citizens to help increase the fund that was used for all this.
Phil Nicholes is the father of Craig Nicholes who was the building commissioner who was also charged. Jess Neal was a former police officer and dtf officer involved in the illegal seizures with now ex prosecutor mark mckinney.
Dennis Tyler was the mayor, again Jess Neal, and Craig Nicholes, Tracy Barton and Nikki Grigsby were employees for the sanitary department (mark mckinney is the attorney for the sanitary board), Jeff Burke owned a local gun store, barber and Franklin are both contractors.
Ex shelter director Phil Peckinpaugh was arrested a few times for stalking his mistress, and then again and sent to prison for molesting his mistress’s teen daughter.
https://cbs4indy.com/news/director-of-muncie-animal-shelter-resigns-after-second-arrest-this-year/
https://apnews.com/article/crime-indiana-muncie-96261f72a166da844c30e45b555c7607
Now ex dtf sheriff deputy jerry lee parks was sent to prison for helping run his families drug ring. Jerry lee parks is related to the people who then murdered my ex not even one year after my pets were stolen.
https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/former-delaware-county-deputy-pleads-guilty-in-drug-case/
Corrupt judge peckinpaugh is now dead.
Here are two articles showing research that shows animals feel, bond, & connect like humans do. Human emotions in animals are like the same emotions we feel. With this, when pets are stolen from owners they go through the same traumatic experience humans would in the same situation.
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/10/09/research-indicates-dogs-are-people-too/
http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/dogs-bond-with-owner-similar-to-a-childs-need-for-a-parent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtP0sGWF_d8
2,345
The Issue
Demand for Justice: Return Our Illegally Seized Pets and End Systemic Corruption in Muncie
To Whom It May Concern, including Federal and State Authorities,
We, the undersigned, are victims of a systemic and corrupt scheme in Muncie, Indiana, where beloved family pets were illegally seized and sold to fund a criminal enterprise within the city government. We demand the immediate return of our animals, a full investigation into the Muncie Animal Shelter's activities under former director Phil Peckinpaugh, and justice for the years of trauma inflicted upon our families.
The Corruption: Pets as Profit
At the heart of this injustice is a brazen financial motive. Evidence from federal indictments (USAO-SDIN PR) confirms that money from the city's general fund, which was inflated by the sale of seized animals, was used to finance illegal kickbacks and other corrupt activities. This system required the complicity of multiple officials, including a corrupt animal control director, law enforcement, and the former mayor's office, who worked in concert to target and silence vulnerable citizens.
A Pattern of Predatory Targeting
The victims of this scheme were not chosen at random. The primary targets were:
Women experiencing domestic violence, divorce, or stalking.
Black men.
And Animal rescues themselves.
This was a deliberate strategy to prey on those who were least likely to have the resources or credibility to fight back.
Victim Testimonies: A Glimpse into the Injustice
The Case of Ashley Morris Mullis: After leaving her husband, Ashley was falsely charged with animal neglect regarding her ex-husband's dogs by Phil Peckinpaugh. Soon after being targeted, Ashley vanished and has not been seen since.
My Story: In October 2013, my family was illegally evicted from our home without due process by an order signed by Judge Peckinpaugh. While two sheriff deputies refused to let us take our pets, Phil Peckinpaugh arrived and assured us we could retrieve them the next day, providing a signed document to that effect. The following day, he reneged, returning only two of our pets and claiming he had already sold the others. He then explicitly threatened me and my children if I continued to fight for the return of my family members. My pets were stolen not for neglect, but for profit.
The Corrupt Network: A Web of Criminality
This pet-theft ring was part of a broader criminal conspiracy, as evidenced by the federal convictions of key figures:
Phil Peckinpaugh (Shelter Director): Resigned amid investigation, later convicted for child molestation and child pornography.
Dennis Tyler (Former Mayor), Jess Neal (Former Police Officer), Craig Nicholes (Building Commissioner): Indicted and/or convicted on federal corruption charges.
Jerry Lee Parks (Former Sheriff's Deputy): Convicted for using his official position to aid his family's drug ring. This same deputy was involved in my illegal eviction, and his associates were later responsible for the murder of my ex-partner.
Mark McKinney (Former Prosecutor): Removed from office for illegal seizures.
This network used the power of their offices to harass, intimidate, and steal from citizens with impunity.
Our Demands
Our pets are not property; they are emotional support and cherished members of our family. Their illegal seizure has caused profound and lasting trauma.
We call on the Department of Justice and the FBI to:
1. Return Our Pets: Facilitate the immediate return of all animals seized under this corrupt scheme.
2. Expand the Investigation: Formally include the illegal seizure and sale of pets in the ongoing federal corruption cases.
3. Prosecute All Involved: Hold every official, from Phil Peckinpaugh to their accomplices in law enforcement, accountable for their crimes against our families.
4. Audit the Shelter: Launch a full, transparent audit of all Muncie Animal Shelter activities from 2012 to the present.
The federal investigation began in 2014. A decade later, we are still fighting for justice. It is time to close this painful chapter, return our family members, and ensure no other family suffers this cruelty again.
Supporting Evidence of Corruption
Here is the information on the federal indictments, however, none list the pets, property, etc that was stolen from citizens to help increase the fund that was used for all this.
Phil Nicholes is the father of Craig Nicholes who was the building commissioner who was also charged. Jess Neal was a former police officer and dtf officer involved in the illegal seizures with now ex prosecutor mark mckinney.
Dennis Tyler was the mayor, again Jess Neal, and Craig Nicholes, Tracy Barton and Nikki Grigsby were employees for the sanitary department (mark mckinney is the attorney for the sanitary board), Jeff Burke owned a local gun store, barber and Franklin are both contractors.
Ex shelter director Phil Peckinpaugh was arrested a few times for stalking his mistress, and then again and sent to prison for molesting his mistress’s teen daughter.
https://cbs4indy.com/news/director-of-muncie-animal-shelter-resigns-after-second-arrest-this-year/
https://apnews.com/article/crime-indiana-muncie-96261f72a166da844c30e45b555c7607
Now ex dtf sheriff deputy jerry lee parks was sent to prison for helping run his families drug ring. Jerry lee parks is related to the people who then murdered my ex not even one year after my pets were stolen.
https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/former-delaware-county-deputy-pleads-guilty-in-drug-case/
Corrupt judge peckinpaugh is now dead.
Here are two articles showing research that shows animals feel, bond, & connect like humans do. Human emotions in animals are like the same emotions we feel. With this, when pets are stolen from owners they go through the same traumatic experience humans would in the same situation.
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/10/09/research-indicates-dogs-are-people-too/
http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/dogs-bond-with-owner-similar-to-a-childs-need-for-a-parent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtP0sGWF_d8
2,345
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Petition created on January 9, 2014