
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, November 20, 1994                   TAG: 9411210018
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

HERITAGE HALL NEEDS TRAFFIC LIGHT

Despite all the traffic lights in Montgomery County, it takes up to 10 minutes or more to get into or out of Heritage Hall on the U.S. 460 Bypass near Montgomery Regional Hospital. I sit at the opposite side of the road waiting to cross or at the entrance waiting to get out.

There should be a crossover and a traffic light there for everyone and especially for ambulances that are often needed there. Employees are bound to be annoyed, as are many visitors with whom I have talked.

Anna Mae King

Blacksburg

10 years too short for animal cruelty

On Saturday, Nov. 5, I sat at my breakfast table, shaking all over, nauseated and ill, as I read the Roanoke Times & World-News article on Gregory Hunt. [Hunt was sentenced in Roanoke to 10 years in prison for cruelty to animals and staging dog fights.] I felt sick, angry and mournful for the innocent creatures that suffered a painful death in the hands of Hunt and his companions. While I was overjoyed that Hunt had been caught, I feel it is a shame that cruel individuals such as Hunt receive only a 10-year prison sentence. Life in prison or the death penalty would be a more appropriate sentence for this man.

It amazed me that Hunt's attorney remarked that it "wasn't as if Gregory Hunt has deep-rooted psychological problems." The fact is, Gregory Hunt enjoys watching the pain and suffering of helpless creatures. Mr. Hunt is a repeat offender, and he will continue a pattern of abuse for the rest of his life.

Hunt's victims are also victims of irresponsible pet owners, the direct result of individuals who refuse to spay or neuter their pets. While I applaud the investigators who broke this case and the commonwealth's attorney who pushed for the maximum sentence, I urge these officials to continue this investigation and arrest Hunt's cohorts before more animals are killed.

Hunt carried on his dog-fighting ring in his garage and backyard. For this reason, it is important that individuals who witness animal-related crimes, abandonment or neglect notify their local police, sheriff, animal control officer or humane society. I hope that the Gregory Hunt arrest will serve as a catalyst for the advocacy of spay-neuter programs and humane treatment of animals throughout the New River Valley.

Julie Ligon, vice president, Montgomery County Humane Society

Blacksburg

by CNB