Report alleges puppy neglect, morphine dealing

A 41-year-old Bridger resident has been accused of leaving over two dozen dogs at home without food or water while he was in Costa Rica, and of arriving back to Bozeman with 374 ampules of morphine without a prescription.

The man, Hunter Andrew Terry, was arrested March 23 after an investigation at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport. His home was later searched, which led to the allegation of cruelty to animals.

Arrested with Terry was Christopher Morrison, 44, of Beaverdam, Virginia. Morrison was accused of having 86 ampules of morphine with the intent to distribute.

The two men were on a charter plane that landed at the airport shortly before 7:48 a.m. March 23, according to affidavits an investigator filed in county justice court. The two men were detained after reportedly having their baggage searched by an officer with U.S. Customers and Border Protection.

Morrison admitted the morphine was in his bag but claimed it wasn’t for him, according to one of the affidavits. Both affidavits were filed by a Belgrade Police Department sergeant who had been called to assist Customs officers, as they weren’t staffed to perform all the tasks required to move the investigation forward.

Neither Morrison nor Terry had a prescription for morphine, according to the affidavits.

While Terry was still in jail, Gallatin County sheriff's deputies executed a search warrant at his home on Flaming Arrow Road in Bridger on March 24, presumably in relation to the drug investigation. They later summoned a patrol deputy to help with a situation involving animals, according to a March 24 affidavit the deputy filed in justice court.

“Located within the defendant’s home were seventeen puppies, two adult dogs and a snake which was deceased,” reads the March 24 affidavit. “All animals found were in various stages of malnutrition and extreme dehydration.”

The animals were reportedly transported to Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter. Shelter staff confirmed the animals “were severely neglected,” the deputy wrote.

“Upon entering the residence of the defendant, Deputies observed the pervasive odor of fecal matter which was attributed to its presence in almost every room of the house,” the deputy wrote. “It was clear there had been no attempt to clean the excrement. Deputies who first arrived on scene made note there was no ventilation within the structure, and the temperature was approximately ninety degrees."

In Terry's absence, a gas stove burner had been left on, which allowed gas to escape into the home, the deputy alleged.

"The house was in a severe state of disrepair," the deputy wrote. "The puppies were being forced to live in their own excrement without food or water with no freedom to move about for a prolonged period.”

Terry had been in Costa Rica from about March 13 to 23, during which time he had not assigned anyone the task of taking care of the animals, the deputy alleged.

The deputy seeks Terry's prosecution on nine counts of cruelty to animals, each of which are enhanced due to a previous animal cruelty conviction from 2014 in Virginia. Each charge is punishable by as much as two years in prison and a $2,500 fine.

The Belgrade police sergeant advised that Morrison and Terry each be prosecuted on a drug-dealing charge punishable by as much as 20 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.