Shannon Miranda. | File photo.

With Miranda’s Rescue back up and running following a brief suspension of its conditional use permit, owner/founder Shannon Miranda has stopped allowing regular inspections of his animals and premises by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office’s Animal Control division.

The inspections began, with Miranda’s cooperation, shortly after the launch of a multi-agency criminal investigation into allegations of animal abuse, fraud and theft at the Fortuna nonprofit animal rescue and “no-kill sanctuary.” In late June, Sheriff William Honsal revealed that animal control officers and a veterinarian were checking on the remaining animals three times per week.

But over the past two weeks, Fortuna animal activists Jennifer Raymond and Jenna Moore, who kickstarted the current criminal investigation into Miranda, noticed that those visits appeared to have stopped. 

Erin Inskip, a public information officer with the Sheriff’s Office, confirmed to the Outpost via email on Thursday that the inspections have ceased.

“As of last week, Shannon Miranda denied us access to his property and so we are no longer conducting the inspections,” Inskip wrote in an email. Asked why the Sheriff’s Office can’t demand access, Inskip replied that it has no legal authority to do so.

Reached by phone, Miranda said that his attorney, Allison Jackson, recommended he stop allowing the inspections because the past three months have adequately shown that that the animals in his care are fine.

“What’s the point of having people come out when no animal’s been removed off the property for abuse, starved or any other reason?” Miranda asked. He said local veterinarian Dr. Patricia Garrison was coming out every Wednesday to weigh the dogs and collect fecal samples for testing. “There’s no skinny dogs; there’s no starved [dogs]; there’s no Coccidia, Giardia — there’s hasn’t been any of that, and they’re not saying anything.”

Miranda and his attorney grew increasingly annoyed that the Sheriff’s Office wasn’t publicly announcing the results of these inspections.

“What’s the point of having them come out if they’re not saying anything at all?” Miranda asked.

When told that the public is likely to worry about the wellbeing of animals now that the inspections have ceased, Miranda said there’s no cause for concern: The animals weren’t sick when the inspections began and they’ve remained healthy.

“We’ve always done the right thing by the animals,” he said. “So it’s not that we don’t want [the inspectors] out here, [but] they’re not doing their part to tell the public the animals are fine.”

Raymond, who purchased the property next to Miranda’s Rescue last year in order to spy on operations there, is upset at this latest turn of events.

“I’m outraged,” she said. In her view, law enforcement should be calling the shots.

“The reality is that Animal Control has the right to inspect animal operations, and it really is annoying to me that they’re allowing Shannon to push them around like this,” she said. 

Lately, though, Raymond has been focused on the county’s Planning and Building Department. She believes the conditional use permit for the Miranda’s Rescue should never have been granted, nor should the recent suspension have been lifted, in part because two of the parcels being used by the nonprofit are owned by other people. 

“[Planning and Building Director] John Ford and the Planning Department need to have some documentation that Shannon can indeed use this property as directed,” Raymond said.

The Outpost reached out to Miranda again this morning to ask about that situation but had not heard back by the time this post was published. The conditional use permit remains under review, and Miranda’s Rescue is required to come into compliance with the terms of that permit by the end of the month.

When we spoke to Miranda yesterday, he said he won’t completely deny law enforcement access to the property. If somebody calls in a wellness check or reports animals in distress — something that has happened in the past as retaliation when he refused to take in certain animals, he said — then he’ll allow deputies and Animal Control officers to take a look.

“If they feel like they need to come out, they can show up unannounced, no problem,” Miranda said. “If they’re following up on a complaint, a legitimate complaint … no problem. Come on out.”

He also said that he agrees with Raymond on at least one point.

“There needs to be more laws on spay/neuter and animals not being shipped off from one place to the other just to get them out of where they’re at,” he said.

Given the recent developments with Miranda’s Rescue, including the lifting of its permit suspension and the end of regular law enforcement inspections, the Outpost asked the Sheriff’s Office for an update.

“We understand the public’s interest in this case and the desire for answers,” PIO Erin Inskip replied via email. “We share that interest. Our priority remains conducting a meticulous, professional, and impartial investigation that seeks the truth and ensures accountability under the law wherever the evidence supports it. Our investigative team is working diligently with our law enforcement partners from the state and federal government to gather, review, and analyze a significant volume of evidence.

“Given the complexity of this case, we are not going to rush the investigative process,” she continued. “Our responsibility is to make sure every lead is examined and that any decisions regarding criminal charges are based upon a complete and accurate understanding of the evidence.”

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