Second Chance Director Testifies About Raid

The dog breeder at the center of a major raid in Hurley says the warrant to take 172 dogs from his property was obtained illegally. Second Chance Rescue Center Executive Director Rosey Quinn led the investigation into Dan Christensen. It ultimately led to a large-scale raid on his property involving Quinn's shelter and the Humane Society of the United States in September.

Since then, the breeder has been at the center of the case, but Wednesday, Quinn's actions were the focus of four hours of questioning. When Quinn took the witness stand in Turner County for a three day hearing to throw out the evidence, she admitted that the Humane Society of the United States was sitting at the Turner County Fairgrounds ready to take Christensen's dogs before she even had a warrant for the raid.

The morning of September 2, Quinn and Turner County State's Attorney Tiffani Landeen-Hoeke had to ask a judge three times for the warrant before it was granted. That happened after Quinn told the judge about the dilapidated kennels full of feces and the filthy water she saw at Christensen's property back in April of 2009. 

In April, Quinn helped the Department of Revenue with a warrant to arrest Christensen for operating his breeding business without a sales tax license. Authorities did not have a search warrant that time, but Quinn said she walked around the property and saw the conditions that ultimately helped her get the warrant for the September raid.

Quinn said the conditions concerned her at the time but that Christensen said he was going to move the dogs into a new building. When Quinn stopped by in July, again without a warrant, she talked to Christensen and he hadn't moved the dogs. Quinn says Christensen never told her to get off his property in April or July.

Quinn also got a warrant for Christensen's son's property in August, six days before the raid. At that time, a Turner County Deputy said the dogs looked like they were in good condition, but also noted that the kennels were filled with feces and the dogs needed food and water. Quinn and the Turner County State's Attorney never used that information to get the warrant for the September raid.

The hearing is expected to last through Friday.