Facing multiple charges of animal abuse, Rose Adams and George Beutler were back in court Wednesday with their legal team to make final motions and requests preparatory to their upcoming jury trial.
Despite arguments by the defense team that the May 2013 search warrant was flawed and should be thrown out, Edmonds Municipal Court Judge Douglas J. Fair found that the preponderance of evidence at the time justified issuing warrant. With no further arguments from the defense, Judge Fair ordered that the trial proceed as scheduled on February 7.
Adams is charged with two counts of cruelty to animals and one count of keeping more than the legal limit of five domestic animals. She also has a pending public disturbance case arising out of a separate incident.
Beutler faces one count of cruelty to animals and three unrelated counts of third degree driving on a suspended license.
According to Fair, these charges all carry a maximum of 90 days in jail and $1,000 in fines.
It has been more than eight months since a sensational video of animal abuse in the Lake Ballinger neighborhood triggered public outrage and resulted in charges being brought against the Edmonds couple.
While there had been previous complaints about alleged illegal activity at the Lake Ballinger-area residence shared by the couple, the evidence was insufficient for a search warrant. This changed on May 14 when the Edmonds Police Department was presented with graphic video evidence of animal abuse occurring at the couple’s home. In response, Judge Fair issued a warrant to search the residence, which was immediately served by officers from the Edmonds Police Department.
The authorities found 14 dogs at the residence. All were seized. Twelve were transferred to Adix Kennels, a local shelter that contracts with the City of Edmonds to board animals. Two required veterinary care and were transferred to a local vet. Adams was taken into custody at the scene.
According to Edmonds police, six dogs remain at Adix awaiting adoption or rescue. The other animals have been either adopted or taken in by various rescue associations.
Adams and Beutler have been free awaiting trial since that time. The couple was recently evicted from the home in the 23600 block of 76th Avenue West where the dogs were seized, but have stayed in the area.
According to neighbors, they have been observed in and around a home in the 23100 block of 74th Avenue West, and may be living in an older motor home parked on the adjacent street. The residence and motor home have been the subject of numerous complaints alleging transient and drug activity, and have been under surveillance by Edmonds police for some time.
“We are well aware of that address and that Rose Adams and George Beutler have been hanging around there,” said Edmonds Police Sergeant Mark Marsh. “Our officers have been there on numerous occasions. Our parking enforcement officers are also aware of the motor home and have issued appropriate citations. We will continue to be vigilant in that area.”
My Edmonds News has been following this issue since it broke in May 2013. A selection of previous articles is available at the links below:
https://myedmondsnews.com/2013/05/rose-adams-appears-in-court-to-answer-animal-abuse-charges/
https://myedmondsnews.com/2013/10/adamsbeutler-animal-abuse-case-update-happened-dogs/
https://myedmondsnews.com/2013/06/the-rose-adams-case-whats-happened-and-where-its-going/
— Story and photo by Larry Vogel
lol That’s cute. The police pretending they’re doing something. I reported my mother for three years before anything happened. I even had video evidence. The police refused to take reports for all that time. Finally, Rose and George’s neighbor caught the video of the fight. We all showed the video to the police, who still did nothing. The officer who responded even told me not to post the video online, claiming it would hinder the department’s “three year investigation” into them. I posted the video anyway and it went viral. That’s what led to Rose’s arrest.
The next day, George jumped a fence and attacked me in front of five witnesses, one of which recorded the incident on her iPhone. He had singled me out, despite the fact that I was merely a bystander, as others yelled at him. Police took more than half an hour to arrive. Hell, I had time to call my girlfriend, after I was done being attacked. She got off work and arrived before the police. When the police got there, George was attempting to flee the scene. Police made him exit his vehicle, but made no attempt to control him, allowing to him to walk back inside the house alone. We all told the police what had transpired and the iPhone footage was shown to them. The officer who had told me not post the fight video the previous day, was in charge of all the officers present. He pulled me aside and went off on me for posting the video. George, however, has never been arrested or charged for what took place that day. In the meantime, I spent months trying to get the incident report for what took place that day. Finally, their clerk revealed there was no incident report. She only found the dispatch notes for the event. She claimed the call must have been deemed too insignificant to make an incident report. I have incident reports for many trivial issues that took place at that address in my possession, but an event that involved five witnesses and even more police has no record of ever happening? Worse, each witness, me included, all turned in witness statements. The department claims not to have those either. I have all of this in a recorded phone call.
Also, after one of Rose and George’s court appearances, George intentionally drove his van at one of the protesters. Their were thirty witnesses, at least fifteen of which turned in statements. King 5 even caught it on their camera. I remember the cameraman saying, “I couldn’t believe it! He actually tried to hit her!” George received no charges for this action either.
I bring all this up, because Edmonds PD needs to be exposed. Everything I’ve said here can be verified. I, and everyone else that’s been forced to deal with this negligence, desperately need the help of the media. Again, it’s not like everything I’m saying can’t be verified. Everyone involved in all these situations will gladly speak up, given the chance.
What charming local residents!
Logan,
Thank you for sharing your story. Something definitely sounds fishy regarding the actions of the EDP. I’m truly sorry for the experience you received from the officer’s sworn to Protect and Serve the city of Edmonds. With the evidence you claim to have and offer to share it, EPD should be ashamed.
Given King5 has video of the attempted murder (or at least attempted vehicular homicide) and the numerous witnesses, I’d recommend reaching out to Jesse Jones. They own that video (and audio) and he seems to be a talented champion of the everyday citizen that has been wronged. That evidence, plus what you have additionally captured makes a very compelling story. Additionally, I suggest approaching a reputable local attorney to ensure you are taking steps that are 100% legal and not exposing yourself to legal retaliation. Going after any police department without legal representation and guidance could exacerbate an already trying situation for you.
I wish you the best of luck regarding the prosecution of the animal abusing losers and exposing EPD for their investigative flaws. I’m not a fan of pointing out flaws of law enforcement, but if they are truly concerned about doing “what is legal and right” this sounds like a great learning/teaching moment.
Kind of ironic don’t ya think? These are direct quotes from Rose Adams in an interview at a Snohomish County puppy mill trial. I think she just gave us her own sentencing guidelines…
https://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/1-year-sentences-in-puppy-mill-case-883896.php
“I don’t think that’s fair to the community. I don’t think that’s fair to the animals,” said Rose Adams, who gathered most of the evidence against the Larsens. “The animals had to live in cages. Why shouldn’t she have to sit in a cell for year along with her husband?”
Maximum or not, the sentence left Adams fuming.
“Those animals were treated like they were nothing, like they were garbage. And you wouldn’t treat your child that way. Why would you treat your animal that way?” she said.
is there any update?
That case was resolved nearly a year after it started. The animal cruelty charges were dropped, but Rose was convicted of having too many animals, and she was banned from having or living with pets for two years. The court actually allowed Rose to pick a foster for the dogs, so that she could get them back after two years. She picked a friend, got them back almost immediately, and the police have taken no action since. In fact, a couple months ago, I got a call from a vet saying I was an emergency contact on one of the dogs. They were trying to get ahold of Rose to return him. I let them know the situation, but she still managed to get him back somehow.
As for George he was just plain found not guilty for animal cruelty for kicking and dragging the dog.