http://www.wfmz.com/news/22919851/detail.html

Former operator of Almost Heaven Kennel faces dozens of charges in Lehigh County

March 22, 2010|By Patrick Lester | OF THE MORNING CALL

Authorities and animal welfare groups have long painted Derbe ''Skip'' Eckhart as a man with a pattern of animal cruelty in a dirty Upper Milford Township puppy mill. Eckhart's attorney has described his client as an animal lover who has been unfairly vilified.

A jury will sort out those conflicting portrayals of Eckhart and his former Almost Heaven Kennel when Eckhart stands trial on a long list of charges in Lehigh County Court this week.

Jury selection is expected to begin today for a trial that could last up to a week, according to Debbie Garlicki, spokeswoman for the Lehigh County district attorney's office.

 

 

'You gonna see turds? You betcha!'

 

Derbe ''Skip'' Eckhart, the misunderstood St. Francis of Assisi of the Lehigh Valley, went on trial Monday on animal cruelty and other charges.

They selected a jury in Lehigh County Court, and the lawyers delivered opening statements. My favorite quote, from Eckhart's folksy Lancaster area attorney, Jeffrey Conrad:

''Are you gonna see turds? You betcha.''

This case has been dragging on since the Pennsylvania SPCA raided Eckhart's inaptly named Almost Heaven Kennel of Oct. 1, 2008, and I can tell you that many of Eckhart's detractors are beyond impatient to see him punished.

But if you thought he would go quietly, think again.

''That fella right there is Derbe 'Skip' Eckhart,'' Conrad said by way of introduction during his opening. ''This fella right here loves dogs, loves critters, loves monkeys … The problem with this guy is that Skip can't say no to any mutt. That guy right there is just dumb enough to take your ugly dog.''

After Chief Deputy District Attorney Jay Jenkins' low-key explanation of the events and witnesses he'll be presenting, Conrad's passion was like a dash of icy water in the face. He claimed that Eckhart is the innocent victim of vile officials who were determined to gain media attention.

''Those folks at the Department of Agriculture [Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement] and the SPCA love money and they love headlines,'' he said. ''… What we have here is a man that loves animals and a government that loves headlines.''

My second favorite quote:

''He's the last bastion of hope for animals that have nowhere to go.'' That's one for the headstone.

Of course, I have a slightly different view. The events of October 2008 -- or June 2009, when Dog Law and the Humane Society of the United States raided Almost Heaven again -- don't represent isolated problems for a cuddly animal lover. Cited dozens of times over a period of several years for offenses relating to his kennels, including cruelty and raising dogs in unsanitary conditions, and jailed twice for not paying his fines, Eckhart established himself in the late 1980s and '90s as someone who was unwilling or incapable of caring properly for his animals.

In one of the most deplorable cases, he was successfully prosecuted for failing to provide sustenance for his 1-year-old dog that just had had a litter of 14 puppies. Only four survived.

His reputation as a dog breeder to avoid, for a variety of reasons, grew right up until Oct. 1, 2008, when someone finally did something about it.

I was there that day. Almost Heaven reeked to high, well, heaven, even from the street. And I talked to and heard enough people who were in there on Oct. 1 to know they were shocked by what they found.

Since I had been writing about Almost Heaven since 2002, documenting Eckhart's grisly history and complaints about conditions at his kennel and of dogs that had been under his care, I was delighted to see his puppy mill career crumbling in the months that followed. More than once, I proclaimed that long-awaited justice had been done.

But the truth is, it was just a very slow work in progress. Thanks in part to Eckhart's series of offered and withdrawn guilty pleas, the case has dragged on at the pace of glacial drift. Now it will be resolved, one way or the other.

Jenkins said he'll offer video, photographs and eyewitness testimony of what the PSPCA and Dog Law saw on Oct. 1, as well as veterinary testimony about what prolonged exposure to such filthy conditions will do to an animal.

Conrad said he has answers for every charge. For example, the handful of dogs that were in truly bad condition were rescue animals that had been dropped off days before, he explained. The videos will make the place look filthy because investigators locked down Eckhart's employees and wouldn't let them do their normal cleaning.

Turds? You betcha.

I have no idea whether the jury will decide Skip Eckhart is a lovable soft-hearted lunk or the architect of abject misery for generations of dogs and other animals. But based on what I saw Monday, it's safe to say they'll hear a spirited argument about it.

In briefly reviewing John Karoly's legal problems in a recent column complaining that he's still allowed to practice despite his criminal convictions, I explained that the state Disciplinary Board gave federal investigators evidence it had collected against him back in 2007. The board was investigating whether Karoly misused funds in his Interest on Lawyers Trust Account to cover personal and business expenses.

Karoly's lawyer, Robert Goldman, has denied that Karoly ever misused any of his trust accounts, and the board took no disciplinary action against him, according to public records.

Photos Tell Jury Two Different Stories

Posted: 12:11 pm EDT March 23,2010

 

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- Jurors in an animal cruelty trial looked at a lot of pictures today.

Those pictures were taken after Almost Heaven Kennel in Upper Milford Township, Lehigh County was raided by animal law enforcement officers.

Now, Almost Heaven is shut down and its owner, Derbe Eckhart, is facing more than a dozen charges.

Depending on which side was addressing the jurors, the pictures they were shown told two different stories, one of neglect and the other of kennel workers being kept from cleaning so animal law enforcement could build a high-profile case.

The defense first showed the pictures taken of Almost Heaven in October, 2008.

A state dog warden told jurors the smell from the kennels burned her eyes and made her want to vomit.

Warden Kristen Donmeyer pointed out in pictures where feces clogged drains and animals laid in their own waste.

Donmeyer also pointed out images of severe deterioration at the kennel and its holding pens.

But then it was the defense's turn.

Using the same set of pictures, Eckhart's attorney had Donmeyer point out several clean kennels with dogs, cleaning equipment, and supplies.

The defense said when the raid happened, employees were in the process of cleaning the holding pens but were taken away from their work and confined to a courtyard while investigators took pictures.

A second raid at Almost Heaven resulted in the seizure of more than 200 dogs and more than a dozen charges against Eckhart.

The defense said the raids and the trial are an attempt by animal law enforcement officials to get headlines.

But the prosecution dismissed that claim, saying Eckhart neglected his responsibility to care for the dogs.

The Pennsylvania SPCA took the stand and showed jurors video of Almost Heaven during the raid.

Tomorrow, the Department of Agriculture will testify.

Eckhart will take the stand later this week.

 

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A Lehigh County judge has decided not to throw former kennel owner Derbe "Skip" Eckhart a bone, ruling Eckhart should remain caged on animal cruelty charges.

Eckhart, 42, on Monday petitioned Judge Robert L. Steinberg to reconsider his six-to-23-month prison sentence that began in May, even though Eckhart has admitted assaulting a prison guard days after reporting to Lehigh County Prison.

Eckhart's attorney, Jeffery Conrad of Lancaster, argued that the sentence is "excessive" and said probation is more appropriate, especially because the animal cruelty charges aren't "violent crimes."

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I went with my uncle three years ago, right before Almost Heaven got raided to get a dog. We thought it was suspicious that they weren't letting us see where the dogs lived. Cooper, a precious labradoodle, who we ended up getting, is the sweetest most serene boy. He was older than the other puppies, around 4 months. When we found out that Eckhart was up for animal cruelty, we were so thankful that we saved Coop from there!! Being an older "unwanted" pup, who knows what would have happened to him!!!

So glad to hear that Eckhart's not getting a break!
Hopefully, it will stay this way, Jill. Sadly, he will probably get out and there is not much stopping him from moving to another state and starting over. We have several members who have his dogs and we rescued several others. We try to keep an eye on this issue.

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