News Release

WARSAW — PETA has requested a second time for criminal charges against Isaiah 11 Ministry’s owner, Linda Ozier.

According to a PETA press release, PETA stated they “sent an urgent letter to Kosciusko County Prosecuting Attorney J. Brad Voelz, calling on him to file criminal charges against Linda Ozier for denying sick, injured, and dying animals veterinary care….in violation of state law, and requesting that he seek a court order permanently barring her from possessing animals.”

PETA said the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office submitted evidence to Voelz three weeks ago and that Ozier has been allowed to keep eight animals at her home and recommended to not obtain any others.

“This hoarder caused animals to suffer greatly and languish in filth amid stockpiled corpses,” said PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA is calling on Voelz to hold Ozier accountable to the fullest extent of the law and prevent more animals from being hurt or dying in her custody by barring her from ever owning any again.”

PETA Senior Evidence Analyst Sarah Deffinger sent a letter to Voelz, which reads:

I’m writing to urge you to file criminal charges against Linda Ozier for neglecting animals at her self-proclaimed “animal rescue” facility—Isaiah 11 Ministry—and, should she be convicted or offered a plea bargain, to seek a court order permanently barring her from possessing any animals.

The Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office merely recommended that Ozier take in no more animals other than the eight she evidently keeps at her home. She fits the profile of an animal hoarder. Without adequate intervention and treatment, animal hoarders have a near 100% rate of recidivism. The only way to protect animals from Ozier’s continued neglect, and spare your office and the KCSO from having to address it again and again, is to ensure that she legally cannot possess them.

As you’ve had this case in your office for more than three weeks, we hope you have seen that the evidence relates primarily to Pearl, a critically ill cat for whom Ozier knowingly and intentionally failed to seek veterinary care and whom she intended to leave to die unassisted.

Pearl suffered from parasitic, viral, and bacterial infections, all treatable conditions if veterinary care is sought early enough. Instead, Ozier allowed Pearl to decline to a state of severe emaciation and severe systemic disease. KCSO deputies said this “absolutely” met their understanding of the state’s definition of neglect.

Other cats the KCSO and PETA later removed from the property suffered from upper respiratory and ear infections; chronic, painful wounds; an injured eye; diarrhea; parasites; muscle wasting; and emaciation.

Of course, those were the animals who survived long enough to be removed. PETA eyewitnesses documented coolers at Ozier’s operation containing multiple cats’ rotting remains and additional animals’ skeletons. Unless a lasting intervention in Ozier’s behavior is secured through the court system, this could be the fate of more victims.

We regret that your office has ignored our four previous attempts to discuss this with you. As you will surely understand, we look forward to seeing your office file charges against Ozier without further delay and seek a court order preventing her from possessing any animals.”

– PETA Senior Evidence Analyst Sarah Deffinger