As I sat in the back row of courtroom 730 in the Lehigh County Courthouse today, I wondered if justice would prevail. As I looked around in the overly crowded room I finally saw Derbe “Skip” Eckhart, sitting with his back towards me just several yards away. The room was small and it was a first-come, first-serve basis to be able to sit in there. Others were allowed to listen in the hallway but not permitted inside if there was no available seat. I thought all of these people were there to see Eckhart go down.
While waiting for the proceedings to begin, I tried to strike up a conversation with the woman to the right of me. Since I had seen her point to a man who happened to be Eckhart, I asked her if that was indeed Eckhart. She replied yes and I noticed she didn’t want to partake in a conversation with me. No problem. She spoke to the woman sitting to the left of me. I thought this well-dressed and nicely groomed woman was a reporter. Not quite.
Once the hearing proceeded, Eckhart’s lawyer, Kevin Fitzerald, told his witnesses they must leave the room until the defense was done with their case and witnesses. Imagine my shock when I sat there in the back row with four empty seats surrounding me. I was the only one in the courtroom at that point with no one seated near me. That was not to last as others from the hallway were permitted to sit in them. I guess that first woman could sense I didn’t care for Eckhart and it would explain the cold shoulder I received.
As I watched Eckhart, he reminded me of Elmer Zimmerman, the puppymill farmer from Maxatawny Township, who shot and killed his 70 dogs last July. I met and interviewed Zimmerman last year after a candlelight vigil and noticed how he was an unassuming man, almost gentle in his ways. A diminuative man. Eckhart, minus his business suit, reminded me of an unassuming man. He never sat there with an air of authority. I noticed how he didn’t even sit up straight in his chair- a minor detail to most. The reason I bring this characteristic up is one can’t believe these type of men could possibly be so horrible to man’s best friend. One can’t believe that these men could treat animals so cruel, so cruel as to allow matted fur full of feces and other matter to get so bad, that it pulls the fur off and then tears off the skin leaving a poodle with barely any fur on his hind quarters as one of the pictures clearly showed. A picture of a black terrier dog with chunks and chunks of missing hair pointed to the same problem.
I still can’t believe Eckhart and a Brian Smith – co-owner and co-defendant, could allow 700 dogs and approximately 100 other species including cats, kittens, birds, ducks, guinea pigs, pigs, monkeys and horses live in filth that was presented in photos and videotape. Now wait, Brian Smith (by the way, I never heard of this man until today) did say he was sorry about the conditions to George Bengal, PSPCA Director of Law Enforcement, on October 1st – the PSPCA’s raid on Almost Heaven Kennel. Bengal was the first one at the scene of the raid. Bengal was also the prosecution’s first witness. Bengal described the property and where the animals were located on the property. Bengal’s questioning lasted nearly two hours explaining what happened at the raid, who was there and what they did.
The next and only other witness for the day was veterinarian Rachel Lee who did an outstanding job describing the health conditions of these dogs. She said over 50% of these animals’ conditions could have been prevented with proper hygeine, care, grooming , common sense….. They did not have to suffer as they did including one dog who had an infection of the skin around his left eye that was bright red. If left untreated, it becomes very painful and the eye can rupture. Or the case of another dog whose eye was completely shut due to an infection.
Lee also spoke of a chihuaha puppy she examined with a cherry eye. Or a litter of puppies so young – I’m guessing they were at the most a few weeks old- too young to not have their mother anywhere near them and devoid of food and water. Other dogs were found not to have water either or dirty water at best. Other dogs were found to be undernourished and very skinny. Videotape and pictures had shown the overcrowded conditions including a very small cage with too many dogs in it to give you an accurate number. There were also dogs covered with feces. Dogs everywhere….How is anyone able to take care of that many dogs? The answer- they don’t!
Lee said they did find dead dogs in the freezer and a refrigerator. She was asked by Fitzerald how long the dogs were dead in the freezer and she said there is no way to know that. Yes ,there is, Mr. Fitzerald, ask your client!
This case is far from over. There were many officers from the PSCPA present today and others ready to testify plus the defense’s witnesses as well. This will continue when all parties can coordinate their schedules. As I talked to the people who were sitting in the same row as me, we discussed how this case needs to start early in the morning and in a larger courtroom. The judge did say there were no larger courtrooms available today. The people who want to see Eckhart out of business do not like this man. They like him as much as everyone liked Elmer Zimmerman. I guess that’s the best way I can say that. As we were leaving the courtroom, a woman I was speaking to shouted to Eckhart – “You’re a poor excuse of a human being”.
That didn’t go over well with the judge. As I walked out of the courtroom directly behind her, I heard the judge say, “Hey, this is a courtroom”. Next thing I know a court officer walked over to this woman and gave her a ticket. As I said, the majority of the people who did show up do not think kindly of this unassuming man in a business suit . But let us not forget how this man paid for this nice suit- from the very dogs he abused.