Joanna Armand tells her side of story

Joanna Armand said she has been vilified and threatened due to “false and misleading” comments concerning several animals found alone in her house in Moreauville.

On Nov. 27, Armand -- writing under her maiden name of McClain and saying she is seeking to divorce Wade Armand -- wrote a long post on the Saving Zeus Facebook page she started in 2014 to protest Moreauville’s proposed ban of pit bulls in the village. Since she made the referenced comments under her maiden name, she will be referred to as McClain in this article.

Zeus was the pit bull at the center of the controversy. McClain’s 19-year-old disabled daughter O’Hara Owens pleaded to be able to keep Zeus, whom she called her “therapy dog” as well as a beloved friend.

In the Nov. 27 post, McClain makes many allegations of domestic abuse and concludes that she finally got the courage to leave to try to find a safe place for her, her children and pets to start over. It must be noted that McClain’s claims are not proven fact, but merely allegations she made to give the public her “side of the story.”

She also claims to have tried repeatedly to contact “the media” to tell her side of the story and alleges the media will not let her do so. This newspaper tried but could find no contact information for her, nor have we received any calls from McClain or anyone acting on her behalf seeking to comment on the alleged animal abuse/abandonment case in Moreauville.

She said she left her husband at the house a few weeks ago, after he came home from working offshore. She said she, her children and several animals had lived in the house without water and electricity for some time because Armand had refused to pay the bills before he went to work offshore. She said she went without to be sure her children and animals had food and water.

NO INTENT TO ABANDON

At no time did she intend to abandon the house or the animals -- which she calls “furbabies” -- she said.

“I never abandoned my children, my furbabies or my home,” McClain wrote. “I simply chose to finally decide to end the abuse being done to my children and myself ... I've never starved or have beaten my furbabies. I wouldn't and I couldn't ever hurt them.”

In the post, McClain said she was going to turn herself in Monday (Dec. 4) to the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office in response to an arrest warrant for animal cruelty. No arrest has been made.

She said she has made long-term arrangements for her children’s care “as I probably won't be given a bail.” McClain said police “made their decision to draw up warrants without all the facts” and that she “was the easy scapegoat in this situation.”

Moreauville police have issued warrants for McClain and Armand for animal cruelty, Police Chief Scott Lemoine said.

All of the animals, including pit bulls Zeus and Jypsy, have been placed in homes, Lemoine said.

In addition to the animal cruelty charge, APSO also has two warrants on McClain for unpaid child support -- one for $33,670 and the other for $10,740.

McClain said she never intended to abandon her children and “furbabies” when she left the house.

“I called multiple times daily and he (Armand) assured me that everything was done, assured me everyone and the furbabies were fine.” One day she called “numerous times” and was unable to reach Armand. She came back to the house.

She had no inkling of the situation until she stopped for gas at a service station and several people “began cursing at me.” She said she “said words back” but “couldn’t figure out for the life of me why they would be calling me an animal abuser and so many other phrases and words.”

Later that night she received a “nasty text” and a photo of one of the dogs.

“I wasn't sure just how bad my furbabies and house were until I started seeing pictures of my babies and bits of the house,” she wrote.

“I do have witnesses to the condition of my house before I left,” McClain continued. “I made it very clear before leaving that I was coming back to get my kids and their clothes, etc. and my furbabies and my belongings as well.”

She said since the controversy erupted, her house has been vandalized and burglarized.

“Anything of value has been stolen,” she said. “All of my children’s baby stuff has been destroyed, including baby books, pictures, christening dresses and suits.”

Lemoine said his office has received no report of vandalism or burglary at the house. McClain said she has received hundreds of messages threatening death, torture, dismemberment “and everything in between.”

“I feared for my life and chose to seek out a temporary place for my children, my furbabies and for myself to start over and begin a new life of happy memories and to be free of pain and abuse,” McClain said. She said the experience let her see who her real friends were and on whom she could trust.

“I'm so very grateful to those who would feed and water our furbabies,” she wrote. “You are truly a blessing -- a miracle to our furbabies.”

McClain said that in one way she “wished I would have never gotten brave to finally leave and say ‘Enough,’ because then none of this would have ever happened.”

However, she continued, “I know all of my furbabies are safe and sound and they will never have to suffer like that again.”