Frontier Internet Technician Clubs Miniature Schnauzer.

[Guardian]

http://pleasehelppepper.blogspot.com/2011/06/frontier-communications-technician.html

A Frontier Communications Internet Installation Technician has been charged with "Cruelty to an Animal" after brutally clubbing a leashed, miniature schnauzer in the head with a Heavy Duty Test Phone. The 15 lb dog, "Pepper" is currently in Sylva Animal Hospital in critical condition with a severe head injury. At time of writing, "Pepper" had not yet regained consciousness and was suffering multiple seizures.

Upon arriving at the residence, the Frontier Technician was told by the resident, John Rarick to "Please wait while I put my dogs away" Instead of waiting as requested, "the Frontier Technician walked around the side of the cabin to where Pepper was restrained on her lead, bent over and viciously clubbed the tiny dog with a test phone about the size and weight of a dumbbell," according to a neighbor who was an eye witness to the bludgeoning of the dog, This occurred in full view of the Rarick's 4 year old son, who was raised with the 8 year miniature schnauzer.

"Pepper" is a friendly, family pet who was property leashed and represented no threat to the young, 6ft tall Frontier Technician. According to witnesses, the Frontier Technician was clearly "Looking for a dog" when he disregarding the resident's request that he "wait until I put my dogs up" and went around to the side of the cabin.

"This was not a startle reaction" said a witness to the assault on Pepper. "The Frontier Technician clubbed that little dog as hard as he could like this" stated the witness, making the motion of rising his arm into the air and striking downward in a forceful cross body blow. "The dog was at the end of her lead and the Frontier Technician had to bend over to hit her."

At no time after the incident did the Frontier Technician appear upset, or even concerned about the animal he'd just beaten unconscious. His face showed no visible affect at all, and his voice was flat and unemotional ...until AFTER he found out he would be charged with "Cruelty to an Animal"

When he realized he was being photographed, the Frontier Technician turned his back to the camera.

"Pepper" is currently fighting for her life, and Frontier Communications has thus far refused to assist with the rapidly mounting vet fees. Neighbors have taken up a collection to help pay for Pepper's immediate emergency care, but the little dog needs to be moved to the Asheville Regional Emergency Animal Care Hospital REACH for 24 hour care over the weekend. The Rarick's have a 4 year old son as well as a new baby, and like most young couples in their situation, are of limited means.

If you are reading this, PLEASE take a moment of your time and call Frontier Communications and urge them to provide for Pepper's medical care.

Frontier Regional Office:
Mr. Greg Edwards: 828-230-4999

 

[Guardian]

Frontier Internet Refuses To Help with Emergency Vet Treatment

http://pleasehelppepper.blogspot.com/2011/06/frontier-internet-refuses-to-help-with.html

Pepper, the miniature schnauzer who was brutally bludgeoned in the head by a Frontier Internet Technician has been moved to the Regional Emergency Animal Care Hospital (REACH) in Asheville North Carolina. Pepper is still unconscious and the vet on call did not sound optimistic regarding Pepper's chance of survival without extensive medical care.

Unfortunately, REACH requires full payment in advance, before treatment ... which they estimated to be $1568.54 for the weekend. The Raricks and their neighbors were only able to raise about $600.00 on a few hours notice so REACH re-estimated the costs of "supportive care" only.

Without giving Pepper all the treatment she actually needs the deposit required was $550.63 .

Three hours after being informed of the dire situation, Mr. Greg Edwards, speaking for Frontier Communications, REFUSED to assist the Raricks in obtaining the necessary emergency care for Pepper.

Mr. Edwards stated that he would contact the Technician, who did not return to work after being charged with Animal Cruelty, and then meet with Frontier General Manager Ken Maxwell (828-645-1801) on MONDAY, before deciding what help, if any, they would offer the Raricks. The fact that Pepper could be dead by Monday did not seem to matter to Mr. Edwards in the slightest.

Frontier Communication's callous disregard for the life of the tiny dog their Technician nearly killed with one blow is absolutely deplorable. One phone call with a credit card from a Frontier Accountant to REACH would guarantee that Pepper would receive ALL the medical treatment she so despairately needs.

Instead of acting in a responsible and caring manner, Frontier Communications upper management is going to "have a meeting about the incident" Monday morning, when it's convenient for them....regardless of the effect their delay will have on Pepper's care.

Please contact Mr. Ken Maxwell @ 828-645-1801 and and/or Mr. Greg Edwards @828-230-4999 and ask them to do the right thing and take care of Pepper.

 

[Stevie]

That's terrible... Only a total psychopath would do something like that. But the company not even wanting to know about it... WT#?

http://www.frontier.com/customerservice/southeastcontacts/#NC

A guy called John Swallow appears to be the manager at the top o the tree for North Carolina area. I sent him an email telling my thoughts about this deplorable act, and asking him to look into this. Perhaps others may wish to also?

John.Swallow@ftr.com

 

[WhiteBear]

The picture of the phone tech gave me a shiver. The description of his emotionless reactions (up until he realized he was in trouble) was so textbook psychopath. Then, I remembered that Pepperfritz' border collie mix was named "Pepper" as well. 4D threat?

 

[Meager1]

Just sent an e mail to John Swallow too, told him that I am in MA and have heard about the incident of cruelty by one of their employees to the Raricks little dog.
And that people across the country are watching to see what this company will do to rectify this atrocity.

Sure hope Pepper will be ok.

 

[Stranger]

Here's a user comment from sott regarding this article:

[quote author=dakotawillow]
Hi, This is my first post on Sott (though I have been reading articles and exploring the Forum for some time. I just read the article about 45 minutes ago, and like most people was appalled and went ahead and made the call to frontier. I left a message on Ken Maxwells number, and although I was polite, I was fairly direct about the need for his company to do the right thing and how it was a shamefull act what happened to the dog and especially in front of a minor like that.
Then I made a call to Greg Edwards (Frontier) and actually got to speak with him in person. He informed me of some information that seems to have not made it into the above article, and how it has been turned into a bit of a witch hunt (not his words). He said that the article really is not accurate. He said that after he received the call demanding payment for the vets bill (which apparently he was given an ultimatum that within so many hours he should have a check written out to the vets, etc), He called the Sheriff to find out more about the incident and that apparently the employee has not been charged. He would not get into detail about it, but said that the article was pretty much untrue, but that his employee would be investigated (maybe should be a more thorough investigation, especially if there was a young child witness, essentially it is an act of mental abuse on the child if it was the case), and they were dealing with it. He also said that they are paying for the vets bills, and that he spoke with the owners of the dog who say they have nothing to do with the article written about the incident. I am obviously no expert, and obviously if the employee did what was said to have happened, then I am truly disgusted especially if there was a young child watching. I am taking this as a lesson for myself, as my initial reactions to this situation were somwhat like the reactions above, but after further investigation I find myself questioning the validity of the article above,[...][/quote]

 

[Guardian]

That's terrible... Only a total psychopath would do something like that. But the company not even wanting to know about it... WT#?

http://www.frontier.com/customerservice/southeastcontacts/#NC

A guy called John Swallow appears to be the manager at the top o the tree for North Carolina area. I sent him an email telling my thoughts about this deplorable act, and asking him to look into this. Perhaps others may wish to also?

John.Swallow@ftr.com

Thank you Steve. Swallow and his Western Regional Manager, Ken Maxwell both appear to be out of town, I left voice mail and called their alternate contact number ...which is how I wound up with Edwards. Mr Edwards called me about an hour ago, and he is not a happy man. Evidently people are burning up his phone and Frontier has changed their collective mind about paying Pepper's vet bill. Mr. Edwards has agreed to call REACH and guarantee complete treatment Pepper. Mr. Edwards also asked me to remove his phone numbers from the blog (which I've done) since the high number of calls they're receiving is hampering their ability to respond to the issue....which I've done

What is VERY disturbing is that the Assistant District Attorney in Jackson County, Reed Taylor, has declined to prosecute the Frontier Tech for Animal Cruelty according to the Deputy who initially told us he would be charged. Even worse is that this Technician is BACK TO WORK and could be showing up at the doorstep of another Frontier Customer today?

I've got to do a bit more digging and then I'll post an update with Mr. Taylor's contact info. I doubt I'll be able to talk to him on a Saturday, but I'm going to try.

My heartfelt thanks to everyone who is helping us with this.... especially Laura and her family. They offered to help pay for Pepper's care before Frontier finally called and said they would contact REACH and cover the vet bill. Thank you!

 

[Alana]

What is VERY disturbing is that the Assistant District Attorney in Jackson County, Reed Taylor, has declined to prosecute the Frontier Tech for Animal Cruelty according to the Deputy who initially told us he would be charged. Even worse is that this Technician is BACK TO WORK and could be showing up at the doorstep of another Frontier Customer today?

What would constitute animal cruelty to them in order to prosecute!? And what company keeps such an employee in their work still? Doesn't he have to not work until they do their own investigation at least? I mean, even if they don't have a conscience, even if they don't care that a psychopath is their employee this guy has caused them money and trouble so far! What's wrong with these people!?

And I do hope that Pepper gets better soon, let us know Guardian of any updates.

 

[Lirpa]

I noticed this comment at the end of the article on SOTT:

"Our hearts go out to the family!
By: StephSchifano
Hello - I work for Frontier Communications. We learned of a situation that involved a Frontier employee and resulted in severe injuries to Pepper. The employee reacted instinctively when surprised and nipped by the dog and swung backwards by reflex, hitting the dog. We are pleased that the injuries to Pepper are being treated and the prognosis has improved. Our hearts go out to the family and we have spoken to them directly. The situation is under investigation and the employee involved is completely distraught. Frontier has also committed to payy all veterinary bills associated with Pepper’s injury
.
Frontier is committed to doing all we can regarding this situation. We know the pain the family is enduring and our hearts ache for them.

Thank you!
Stephanie"

While this seems like a nice attempt to "do the right thing", I googled her name and Stephanie's Twitter and Facebook profile says that she is in marketing and customer relations for Frontier. I kind of have a hard time buying anything put out by any management/marketing/customer relations from companies. I could be wrong though.

My question is ...was she there and witnessed it. If not how can she attest to what really happened?

 

[Lirpa]

I just don't buy Stephanie's account of what happened. The logistics just don't line up for me. The man is tall and Schnauzer's are a smaller breed. I cannot visualize the man being that tall and "swinging backwards" and low enough to hit a small dog hard enough to cause the type of injuries that Pepper sustained.

As far as the DA not charging the man...I used to work in law enforcement as clerical support and there are MANY times where a police officer initially charges someone with a crime and the charge is dropped due to pressure from superiors and/or the DA and it often is due to someone knowing someone and calling out a favor or kisses the charge off due to a technicality error in the report by the Officer. Ya think North Carolina has the "good ol' boy" network thang going on?

 

[Laura]

Some of the above comments could be added to the article for the benefit of the public readers who do not visit the forum.

 

[agni]

The employee reacted instinctively when surprised and nipped by the dog and swung backwards by reflex.

Ehhh.... So too bad if someone encounters this employee and he is surprised ? What ???!!?? And he is still out there ?
Does she even understand what kind of atrocity she is saying ?

 

[Nienna]

I think that the whole "he was only acting in self-defense" type-schtick is exactly what someone like this would do. They are trying to keep a good image and blame the victims for what has happened.

And seeing how charges are now not going to be made, well, this whole thing is just really typical of what happens when some defenseless animal is hurt.

They say that this guy is distraught. From the way he looks in the pictures provided by Guardian, I'd say, if he really is distraught at all, which I doubt, that it's only because of fearing for his job and how many people have responded to outrage at his actions.

Geesh! It's all the person who posted the articles fault.

Perfect psychopathic response.

 

[Guardian]

I'm not sure exactly what's going on with the criminal charges yet, mainly because everybody important in the DA's office has gone home for the weekend. What I did find out is the the ADA has not talked to ANY of the witnesses to the actual event yet, because they were all at the vet's Friday. All he has right now is the Technician's statement... and the Deputy's report, which is second hand info.

First thing Monday Morning we're ALL going down to his office to talk to him. If, after hearing what happened from eye witnesses, he still refuses to press charges.... we'll go from there. I've read the statue, and it certainly seems to cover this incident:

14-360 Cruelty to animals; construction of section.
(a) If any person shall intentionally overdrive, overload, wound, injure, torment, kill, or deprive of necessary sustenance, or cause or procure to be overdriven, overloaded, wounded, injured, tormented, killed, or deprived of necessary sustenance, any animal, every such offender shall for every such offense be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

(b) If any person shall maliciously torture, mutilate, maim, cruelly beat, disfigure, poison, or kill, or cause or procure to be tortured, mutilated, maimed, cruelly beaten, disfigured, poisoned, or killed, any animal, every such offender shall for every such offense be guilty of a Class I felony. However, nothing in this section shall be construed to increase the penalty for cockfighting provided for in G.S. 14-362.

(c) As used in this section, the words "torture", "torment", and "cruelly" include or refer to any act, omission, or neglect causing or permitting unjustifiable pain, suffering, or death. As used in this section, the word "intentionally" refers to an act committed knowingly and without justifiable excuse, while the word "maliciously" means an act committed intentionally and with malice or bad motive. As used in this section, the term "animal" includes every living vertebrate in the classes Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves, and Mammalia except human beings. However, this section shall not apply to the following activities:
(1) The lawful taking of animals under the jurisdiction and regulation of the Wildlife Resources Commission, except that this section shall apply to those birds exempted by the Wildlife Resources Commission from its definition of "wild birds" pursuant to G.S. 113-129(15a).
(2) Lawful activities conducted for purposes of biomedical research or training or for purposes of production of livestock, poultry, or aquatic species.
(2a) Lawful activities conducted for the primary purpose of providing food for human or animal consumption.
(3) Activities conducted for lawful veterinary purposes.
(4) The lawful destruction of any animal for the purposes of protecting the public, other animals, property, or the public health.

 

[Gimpy]

I'm not sure exactly what's going on with the criminal charges yet, mainly because everybody important in the DA's office has gone home for the weekend. What I did find out is the the ADA has not talked to ANY of the witnesses to the actual event yet, because they were all at the vet's Friday. All he has right now is the Technician's statement... and the Deputy's report, which is second hand info.

First thing Monday Morning we're ALL going down to his office to talk to him. If, after hearing what happened from eye witnesses, he still refuses to press charges.... we'll go from there. I've read the statue, and it certainly seems to cover this incident:

14-360 Cruelty to animals; construction of section.
(a) If any person shall intentionally overdrive, overload, wound, injure, torment, kill, or deprive of necessary sustenance, or cause or procure to be overdriven, overloaded, wounded, injured, tormented, killed, or deprived of necessary sustenance, any animal, every such offender shall for every such offense be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

(b) If any person shall maliciously torture, mutilate, maim, cruelly beat, disfigure, poison, or kill, or cause or procure to be tortured, mutilated, maimed, cruelly beaten, disfigured, poisoned, or killed, any animal, every such offender shall for every such offense be guilty of a Class I felony. However, nothing in this section shall be construed to increase the penalty for cockfighting provided for in G.S. 14-362.

(c) As used in this section, the words "torture", "torment", and "cruelly" include or refer to any act, omission, or neglect causing or permitting unjustifiable pain, suffering, or death. As used in this section, the word "intentionally" refers to an act committed knowingly and without justifiable excuse, while the word "maliciously" means an act committed intentionally and with malice or bad motive. As used in this section, the term "animal" includes every living vertebrate in the classes Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves, and Mammalia except human beings. However, this section shall not apply to the following activities:
(1) The lawful taking of animals under the jurisdiction and regulation of the Wildlife Resources Commission, except that this section shall apply to those birds exempted by the Wildlife Resources Commission from its definition of "wild birds" pursuant to G.S. 113-129(15a).
(2) Lawful activities conducted for purposes of biomedical research or training or for purposes of production of livestock, poultry, or aquatic species.
(2a) Lawful activities conducted for the primary purpose of providing food for human or animal consumption.
(3) Activities conducted for lawful veterinary purposes.
(4) The lawful destruction of any animal for the purposes of protecting the public, other animals, property, or the public health.

If that doesn't rattle loose a few bolts, I don't know what can. If that creep is back to work this fast, it makes me wonder who exactly he is and who he knows.

And yes, I'll believe the company is picking up the vet bills when those bills are paid. I don't trust them, but that is just me.