The shelter will remain closed until SLED completes the investigation, Willis said.
“If SLED finishes up by Monday, the shelter will reopen then. We have public works and animal-control officers from the sheriff’s office caring for the animals until it reopens,” he said.
Friday morning was a far different scene from Thursday afternoon at the shelter. The noise and chaos had been replaced with quiet. The entry gate was locked and the parking lot was empty. According to Willis, the locks at the shelter have been changed.
The shelter had two employees until May 2, when one employee was fired. Director Shandy Miller, the only remaining employee, was suspended with pay this past Wednesday.
The firing of the employee and the suspension of Miller “were two totally different matters,” Willis said. The closing of the shelter was the result of the suspension of the director and the ongoing SLED investigation, he said.
Diane Rashall, a member of Lancaster Area Shelter Supporters, an animal-rescue group that frequently visits the shelter, said the other employee’s name was Michelle Deese. Willis would not confirm that Deese was the fired employee, but county Human Resources Director Lisa Robinson said Friday afternoon that Michelle Deese was fired on May 2.
Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile supervises the county’s three animal-control officers. “Something was reported to us the other day,” Faile said Friday, “and we looked into it and turned it over to SLED.”
The animal-control officers were placed under the sheriff’s supervision a couple years ago so that they could carry sidearms and relieve regular deputies from having to respond to animal calls, some of which involve vicious animals.
Faile said the animal-control officers needed to be armed to protect the public and themselves. They have a Class 3 certification, with duties limited to the areas they enforce.
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