Charges dismissed against Wayne Co. woman accused of treating animals stranded by Florence

WAYNE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- The charges against a Wayne County woman accused of treating animals stranded by Hurricane Florence at an unregistered shelter have been dismissed, according to the District Attorney's Office for the 8th Judicial District.[br /][br /]Tammy Hedges was charged with 12 counts of misdemeanor practice/attempt of veterinary medicine without a license and one count of solicitation of a Schedule 4 controlled substance.[br /][Ads /][br /]District Attorney Matthew Delbridge released this statement regarding the incident:[br /][br /][i]"The protection of animals and their well-being has always been an important concern, especially during times of natural disaster. A passion for and the love of animals is laudable but does not excuse unnecessarily putting their health at risk when other, safer resources are available. The removal of animals from a building that failed to meet suitable standards for license as an animal shelter and away from the control of this defendant who has previously been censured for the unauthorized practice of veterinary medicine was a prudent decision made with the best interest of the animals in mind. This was especially true in light of her taking advantage of a dire situation to solicit money and opioid narcotics from our generous and well intentioned citizens. It is my desire that having ensured the safety of the animals in question, a dismissal of these criminal charges will minimize further distraction from my core mission of protecting the public from violent crime and allow the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Board to take whatever ac+on they may deem appropriate."[/i][br /][br /]On Monday, Sept. 17, Wayne County Animal Services [url HREF="https://abc11.com/pets-animals/wayne-co-woman-charged-after-treating-animals-stranded-by-florence-at-unregistered-shelter-/4319468/[br /]" TARGET="new" REL=""]took 27 dogs and cats from the Crazy's Claws N' Paws[/url] in Goldsboro, our newsgathering partners at The News and Observer reported.[br /][Ads /][br /]It was determined that the group was running an unregistered animal shelter that served Wayne, Johnston, Lenoir and Wilson counties.[br /][br /]The shelter space on NC Highway 581 was run by Tammy Hedges.[br /][br /]After the pets were turned over to Wayne County Animal Services, the case was turned over to the Wayne County District Attorney's office.[br /][br /]All animals were examined by a licensed veterinarian once they arrived at the Wayne County Animal Shelter.[br /][br /]Some animals have been reunited with their owners.