On Oct. 27, a hearing took place at the Josephine County Courthouse in Grants Pass regarding Selma resident Joseph LaRue and the plethora of animal and marijuana-related charges that have been brought against him over the last month. Though this hearing was merely a formality that served to alter the conditions of his release until a trial date is decided upon, several members of the community were present with their four-legged friends in tow.
Larue appeared alongside his attorney, Michael Buseman, and together they faced Judge Matthew Galli. The state was the first to speak, citing that the conditions of LaRue’s release since he had been bonded out included a stipulation that the defendant is not to have animals in his possession “unless it is lawful to do so.” Given the nature of the allegations, the state requested that the quoted portion of the release conditions be altered, thus implying that there is no legal basis for LaRue to be in possession of any animals until a verdict can be reached in his case. Though the defendant’s counsel attempted to argue in his favor, stating that he was still in possession of several “family animals,” Judge Galli granted the state’s request, explaining that in cases such as this one “no possession of animals is standard.” As a result of this, LaRue was given seven days to rehome any animals that were still in his possession. After that week, should LaRue be in possession of any animals, he would be considered to be in violation of his release agreement.
A no-contact agreement within LaRue’s release conditions was also altered stating that LaRue is only allowed to contact his alleged victims- the owners of the dogs that were found at his business in Grants Pass- through his legal counsel.
Although Joseph LaRue is attending his court dates, his business and life partner Danielle Brown LaRue is still managing to evade law enforcement, and there is still an active nationwide warrant issued for her arrest. The Larues face multiple counts of felony animal neglect, animal abuse, theft and marijuana-related crimes. Recently, four more charges have been brought against Joseph LaRue that are simply listed on the Oregon Judicial Department’s website as “attempt to commit a class B misdemeanor,” as well as two additional first-degree theft charges, bringing the number of charges to 45 in total. While Danielle Brown LaRue’s charges lack the four new misdemeanor counts, the two theft charges have also been added to her warrant.
Joseph LaRue’s next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 7 at 9 a.m. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Danielle Brown LaRue, please contact the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office at 541-474-5123.