UPDATE 1/28/03 on the Montana Collies

Statement by AWCA President Jean Levitt, from Shelby, MT

*Permission to crosspost*

Trial

Complete update Wednesday morning.

To keep you informed:  we were in court until after 7 PM today.  Athena Lethcoe-Harman was on the stand most of the day.  Late this afternoon the prosecution called a mechanical engineer who, “modelled” the situation in the truck by hitching a duplicate cab to the trailer and pulling it down the highway at 50 mph to “model” conditions of airflow for the collies.  Inside the trailer of the truck were the engineer and two sheriff’s deputies.  One deputy was videotaping the conditions.  We saw these men dressed in white overalls from top to bottom with face masks to protect them from the dried fecal material and urine in the truck.  The engineer tied lengths of yarn to the air vents.  They just hung down, almost no airflow.  He held a handful of very light Styrofoam beads, they did not move.  He held a small instrument designed to measure velocity.  It registered no airflow.

In fact the openings created a circling effect.  What little air came in the top of the openings was sucked right back out the openings immediately below.  Defense attorney Albers was beside himself.  He objected constantly.  Ms. Harman stood up and hugged her husband and went out into the spectators’ section and sat with her parents for a while.

The defense argued there was a “wing” on the cab that was not on the Harman’s cab, therefore it was not a “valid” model.  During webcam testimony the engineer for the defense, who had testified earlier this week, agreed.

I admit to feeling extremely distressed at the sound inside the truck and the sight of the inside of that filthy claustrophobic truck speeding down the highway, even though there were no collies in it.

Court convenes at 9 AM Wednesday.

Calmly,

Jean Levitt, President AWCA

Lisa King, AWCA Director AWCA Rescue

Officers and Members of AWCA

If you would like to assist AWCA with this rescue effort, you may send a check to:

                                                Bethany Burke

                                                AWCA Treasurer

                                                2807 Lee Trevino Court

                                                Shalimar, FL 32579

Make the check out to AWCA and in the memo area note:  collie rescue-medical, collie rescue-stainless steel, or collie rescue-general.