Animal cruelty gets two looks

May 31—Two totally different perspectives on what animal cruelty is came with testimony last week in a non-jury trial of a Lindsay woman keeping more than 170 different kinds of critters in her home.

For the defendant, Heather Scyrkels, 50, she was doing everything in her power to keep the various animals healthy before finding them a new home.

On the other side was the testimony of Lindsay's animal control officer and two policemen, who all said the conditions inside of Scyrkels' residence were filthy with feces on the floor and the air thick with a strong ammonia odor from urine when they came to collect the animals on June 18, 2021.

After a full morning of witnesses taking the stand last Friday a Garvin County judge ruled Scyrkels was guilty on two of the 14 felony counts she faced with the others drawing not guilty verdicts or dismissed altogether.

Samantha Randol, who was the animal control officer at that time, said there had been multiple complaints against Scyrkels for having too many animals in the residential home.

"You could smell urine pretty strongly and could also hear animals inside," Randol said as she stood outside on the home's porch that day.

That claim, also supported by officers Dalton Rivera and Dereck Hickman when they testified, was later refuted by Scyrkels who instead said the strong urine smell was coming from other cats in the neighborhood.

Once inside Randol said the air was "very very pungent" from the urine with animal feces on the floor.

According to Hickman, the odor was so severe it "burned my nostrils, eyes and lungs."

Stepping outside a number of times to be able to breath, Hickman said he later needed breathing treatments.

Randol gave a room-by-description of what she saw, which included dog crates, aquariums and even what appeared to be a cat possibly getting medications with an intravenous or IV set up.

Testimony later showed the cat, which eventually couldn't be saved, was not actually getting an IV.

"'This will be the room that gets me in trouble,'" Randol testified Scyrkels said as they came to a bedroom that was tied shut by leashes.

Scyrkels later testified her statement was about the number of dogs in the room as the 10 inside violated the city's ordinances.

Randol said dogs were in stacked crates in the room, along with a number of cats. Her claim is many of the dogs had sores on them as no food or water appeared to be available to any of them as the conditions were again "dirty and unsanitary."

One of the dogs named Dante was "in really bad shape," Randol said.

A total of 178 animals with 100 of them being chickens were taken out of the house. Other animals included fish, reptiles, birds, sugar gliders and kinkajou.

"Every animal that we removed saw a vet within 24 hours, including the chickens," Randol said.

"We lost several chickens within the first week, a cat was euthanized and three dogs were put on heart medication."

When Scyrkels had her turn on the stand she, along with her daughter, Alaina Scyrkels, and friends Sue Mobley and Shelby Southern, said the officers had it all wrong as there was no feces on the floor or urine odor as the conditions were far from dirty.

Scyrkels testified she once studied veterinarian medicine and worked at animal clinics, shelters and even zoos.

"Except for the exotics every dog and cat I had came from shelters asking me to take them in or from people with a litter of puppies," Scyrkels said.

"I have been working to find homes for animals since 2010. Me, being who I am, hate to see anyone suffer and die."

When asked if she would describe her home as a healthy environment for the animals she said, "I do. I know those facts aren't true."

"I think Oklahoma has an animal problem because people don't spay and neuter. Animal rescuers have got their homes full of animals because there aren't enough places to help."

During his closing Garvin County Assistant District Attorney Corey Miner said the case really comes down to the two different viewpoints.

"These cases are difficult because I get the sense that they have a love for these animals," Miner said.

"However, these are two totally separate realities. The defendant's reality and the facts of the case are diametrically opposed.

"I don't know how you look at the facts and not believe that these animals are being treated cruelly. The facts show this defendant was not providing a hygienic environment for the animals. These officers have no reason to come in here and make up stories."

"An analysis of the testimony clearly shows the defendant is guilty of animal cruelty."

Defense attorney Sam Endicott of Oklahoma City argued the state had not done a good enough job of proving the allegations against Scyrkels.

"The state hasn't done a sufficient job of showing this reaches the level of animal cruelty," Endicott said.

"I believe finding my client guilty is punishing her for trying her best to take care of animals in her community."

District Judge Leah Edwards found Scyrkels guilty on two counts of animal cruelty, not guilty on nine counts and three others were dismissed.

Sentencing for Scyrkels is now scheduled to come in July.