Elkhart County Prosecutor Vicki Elaine Becker announced the formal charges against three former Jayco employees filed earlier this week, stemming from alleged animal cruelty at Jayco, have been dismissed due to the need for further investigation and clarification of facts and circumstances documented during the investigation.
Becker says a scrivener’s error, which was found in the Probable Cause Affidavit filed in support of the original charges, provoked additional investigative questions.
The county prosecutor says that error attributed a statement to Devon Miller as follows:
“Ptl. Yutzy spoke with Devon Miller, the vice president of operation at Jayco, who indicated the men acted in the company’s best interest by placing the live cats into the trash compactor.”
Becker says the phrase is not accurate and there is “no evidence documented in the police investigation to suggest that Mr. Miller endorsed, or approved of, the decisions or the behaviors of the three employees.”
Once the prosecutor’s office was notified of the discrepancy, officials made further inquiries regarding the facts and circumstances of the allegations.
The prosecuting attorney is “awaiting the results of that additional investigation, which has impacted the veracity of the original charging decision.”
Becker says a Motion to Dismiss each case was filed before anyone’s liberty was affected by an arrest.
Officials say until the additional information can be meaningfully considered, any amended charging decision will not be made.
The county prosecutor’s office added no interviews will be afforded at this time as they await further evidence before any additional official actions will be undertaken.
Hellbound and Down 