Black Forest woman flees from animal-cruelty case

A Black Forest woman suspected of animal cruelty fled to Texas with her teenage daughter and boyfriend the day officials removed 26 sickly animals from her property, a relative said Monday.

The animals — llamas, goats, cows, horses, hens, a sheep and a dog — were taken from Debra Everet’s property Feb. 20 at 12760 Vollmer Road a few days after El Paso County sheriff’s deputies found 11 carcasses there.

“Debra made people feel that she cared for the animals, but her only concern was making money,” said Everet’s nephew, 32-year-old Gary Baker, who lives in Ventura, Calif. “She had bought animals at the auction that looked bad, hoping to quickly make them look healthy and resell them for a profit. She would buy anything that she could get cheap.”

Sheriff’s investigators on Monday talked with another one of Everet’s relatives, who also said the woman fled with her daughter, 15, and 62-year-old boyfriend, Ron Hemby.

“The information I got is they left town that night to avoid prosecution,” sheriff’s detective Patrick Gattenby said.

Summonses to appear in court on suspicion of animal cruelty had been issued for Everet and Hemby, but arrest warrants are expected to be obtained today because they ran, and the two will be considered fugitives, Gattenby said.

Everet, who turns 50 today, and Hemby have limited physical mobility, and the teenager was trying to care for the animals, sheriff’s investigators said.

Baker said he was with Everet’s 83-year-old mother when Everet called to say she was “skipping town” and asked for $500. Everet didn’t say exactly where she was headed, Baker said.

“They were going to go to Texas because Ron’s aunt is really old and is supposed to die, and they’re going to inherit his aunt’s property,” Baker said.

Baker said Everet told family she plans on getting more animals in Texas.

“For years, everyone in the family has told her she should get rid of the animals. She’d pretty much blow it off and go get more animals,” Baker said.

Everet is listed on several goat-breeding Web sites, calling her operation Aaery Pines Dairy Goats or Aaery Pines.

Everet’s neighbor told the sheriff’s office on Feb. 15 that some of the woman’s animals looked underfed.

Sheriff’s deputies found 11 carcasses and 26 dehydrated and malnourished animals.

The dead animals included a pig, two calves and a dog, but the others were too decomposed to identify, sheriff’s investigators said.

Officials made arrangements to care for the animals at the 23-acre property until they were removed.

Everet, who jointly owns the land with her mother, signed over ownership of the animals, investigators said.