Karl Mogensen and Gretchen Mogensen – the former and current owners of Natural Bridge Zoo, respectively – were found guilty of violating a court order and received suspended jail sentences following a hearing in Rockbridge County Circuit Court Wednesday.
The charges relate to actions and comments made by both of the Mogensens around the move of Jeffrey the giraffe from the zoo last October. The charge against Karl Mogensen stemmed from threats he made against transporters. He told an investigator with the Virginia State Police that he had been joking about that, then threatened to shoot any veterinarians who came to take the giraffes. He also called then-sheriff Steve Funkhouser on the morning of the move, asking him to run a license plate and saying that someone was “stealing” the giraffes.
Gretchen Mogensen was accused of attempting to delay the move by placing a large rock in front of the gate to the giraffe barn and leaving a front-end loader near the barn which made maneuvering the giraffe trailer into place difficult. She live-streamed the move on her Facebook page and several comments she made during the video were played in court, including efforts to identify individuals involved with the move.
Judge Christopher Russell sentenced Karl Mogensen to 90 days and Gretchen Mogensen to 60 days in jail, all of which he suspended. He also levied fines against both -- $2,500 for Karl and $1,500 for Gretchen – suspending $500 of both fines. The suspension of the sentence and fine is dependent on the Mogensens being on good behavior and ceasing all harassment of those involved in the transport of the giraffes and other animals from the zoo.
Another contempt of court charge was filed against Sondra Scott, CEO of Two By Two 4U, an animal rights group based in Missouri, centered around comments she made on the live stream and in posts on Facebook, including allegedly releasing the name and address of the driver of Jeffrey’s trailer. Judge Russell dismissed the charge against Scott, saying that the state didn’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she had knowledge of the orders she was alleged to have violated.
A second contempt charge against Gretchen Mogensen is still pending and will be heard in a separate hearing. That charge revolves around two baby giraffes that belong to the state and were taken from the zoo earlier this year, shortly after they were born. As of Wednesday, the state still does not know where the calves are and a criminal investigation is underway to locate them. A date for the hearing on that charge has not yet been scheduled.
Full details of Wednesday’s hearing will run in the July 9 edition of The News-Gazette.
