By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.–A hearing for the three people arrested in the child and animal abuse case which involved a toddler found in a cage has been rescheduled in Henry County General Sessions Court.
The preliminary hearing for Heather Scarbrough, Thomas J. Brown and Charles Brown had been set for Thursday afternoon, but was reset for October 1.
The hearing was rescheduled due to the unavailability of two defense witnesses.
The three were arrested in June after a one-and-a-half year old boy was found in a cage and large-scale animal abuse involving dozens of animals was found at their home at 2465 Dale Cemetery Road.
Former Henry County Sheriff Monte Belew was responding to an animal abuse complaint when he discovered the little boy in the cage when he looked in the open front door.
Deputies arrested the mother, Heather Scarbrough, age 42; the stepfather Thomas J. Brown, age 46; the step-grandfather Charles Brown, age 82, all of that address. All are being kept on $300,000 bonds each in the Henry Co. Jail. All are charged with aggravated child abuse, aggravated cruelty to animals, manufacturing marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia. Thomas J. Brown is also charged with felony possession of a weapon.
The child immediately was placed in the custody of the Department of Childrens’ Services.
On the premises, deputies found 127 marijuana plants being grown outside, 17 guns including an AR-15, 56 dogs (one of which was in labor and which had puppies overnight); 10 rabbits, four parakeets, 86 chickens and roosters, three cats, eight snakes, one pheasant, 531 mice, rats and hamsters, one gecko, and three sugar sliders (flying squirrels).