Wednesday, March 13, 2002
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Wednesday, March 13, 2002 |
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Vet assistant charged with injecting wife with pet drugs By JOHN MUNFORD
A former veterinary assistant who used to work at Fayette Animal Hospital in Fayetteville has been arrested for administering pet medications to his wife at their north Fayette home, actions which investigators believe may have caused permanent physical damage. Richard Kinnard, 35, of a Fairburn address in north Fayette County, gave his wife ketamine, telazol and morphine, according to warrants for his arrest issued by the Fayette County Sheriff's Department. The drugs rendered Charis Kennard "in a state of partial blindness with uncontrollable shaking," warrants said. "We feel he forced some of these on her," said Lt. Mahlon Donald of the sheriff's department. "He had an IV hooked up to her at one point." According to warrants, various pet medications found in Richard Kennard's possession were originally stolen from two animal clinics in north Atlanta. The incident was originally reported to authorities by doctors at Southern Regional Medical Center as they began treating Mrs. Kinnard, Donald said. Detectives pieced clues together from Charis Kennard's statements as she drifted in and out of consciousness at the hospital, Donald added. "The doctors hadn't seen reactions to drugs like she was having," Donald said. "They hoped we could help find him (Kinnard) and discover what she had taken." Richard Kinnard is charged with aggravated battery, three felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, five counts of theft by receiving stolen property, three misdemeanor counts of possession of a dangerous drug and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Mrs. Kinnard has been released from the hospital but faces injuries to her eyesight and a shaking condition that may be permanent, Lt. Donald said. Mrs. Kinnard had been taking regular pain medication for a condition called ulcerative colitis, Donald said, adding that he is unsure whether her husband was trying to treat her pain with the medication. The case is still under investigation and other related charges are pending, Donald said.
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