Chattooga County Commissioner Blake Elsberry announced the results of an internal investigation into a troubling incident involving the county’s Animal Control department. The investigation was launched following allegations that a county employee misled a resident regarding the circumstances surrounding the euthanizing of a family dog, mere hours after the animal was taken into custody.
WZQZ News received documents from the commissioner’s office that indicate there had been problems with the animal before the incident. However, the documents do not indicate what conversations the commissioner had with Chattooga County Animal Control during the commissioner’s internal investigation. One page of the report was a disciplinary form that said that the animal control officer was verbally reprimanded.
Some in the community are pointing to the close relationship between the commissioner and Mark Finster, the employee in question, and asking questions about the internal investigation. Finster has been a vocal supporter of Commissioner Elsberry. Earlier this year, during the Republican Primary election cycle, Finster was known to defend the commissioner publicly and was accused of campaigning for Elsberry, even while he was working at the county’s animal control department.
You can read the complete report from the commissioner’s office below. A PDF reader is required.
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