Former dog grooming employee charged with Animal Cruelty in Danville
DANVILLE, Va. (WFXR) — The Danville Police Department charged an employee at Hollywood Pets with animal cruelty on Friday, May 10.
According to the police, information was received regarding complaints of alleged animal abuse by a former Hollywood Pets employee located on Hairston Street who provided grooming and care services. The complaints refer to videos shared over social media and other platforms that allegedly show the employee hitting a dog in Jan. and Feb. of 2024.
Following an investigation by the Danville PD Criminal Investigations Unit and Animal Control, a warrant was issued for the arrest of 22-year-old Cassidy Gill from Roxboro, North Carolina.
On Friday, Gill was arrested and charged with Animal Cruelty.
Bassett drug bust leads to man charged with multiple felonies
On Thursday, May 9, Hollywood Pets released the following statement on their Facebook Page:
Dear Customers,
In light of recent videos being circulated on social media I would like to shed some insight to best of my ability and be as transparent as possible.
I received the videos on Friday, April 26th from PETA. After reviewing them I spoke with the employee involved first thing on her next scheduled workday Monday, April 29th. At this time her employment was terminated immediately! Apparently, the videos had been recorded some time ago but were not presented to me when the incidents occurred. Only after our previous groomer (who captured the videos) was terminated on April 15th did she decide it was in her best interest to release them to PETA. The withholding of evidence of inexcusable behavior by a fellow employee to me is almost as reprehensible as the act itself. In addition, the installment of video surveillance cameras has been scheduled which will provide me with constant monitoring of all grooming activities in the future.
We deeply regret any of this occurred and I assure you these were isolated incidents. We have served Danville and the surrounding areas for 16 years and our reputation is excellent. I have spoken with numerous customers about the situation, and they have been very supportive. For this we thank you!
In conclusion, I stand by and have full trust in the current staff here at Hollywood Pets, especially our new groomer Sydney Bayless, who started on April 29th! I am available to try and answer any and all questions for our current customers regarding my handling of these events.
– Derek Holley, Hollywood Pets
Police say no further criminal charges are expected to be served.
WFXR News will update this story as further information is released.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFXRtv.
