Two Charged with Cruelty to Animals After Dogs Found Starving, Near Death in Gates County

For Immediate Release:
February 25, 2026

Contact:
Andrew Grant 202-483-7382

Gates County resident Shaneka Norfleet and Nathanial Hart were charged this week with one count each of cruelty to animals after PETA fieldworkers discovered two severely emaciated, starving dogs chained outside on their property.

On December 24, while doing a routine check, PETA fieldworkers discovered a pit bull mix named Chance chained outside, cold to the touch, covered in lesions, and unable to stand or even lift his head. Fieldworkers rushed Chance for emergency veterinary care, where he was found to be severely underweight at only 29 pounds and suffering from hypothermia—with his temperature so low that it wouldn’t even register on a thermometer.

Days later, when PETA fieldworkers returned to the property, they discovered another chained pit bull named Kayana, who was bloated and starved, weighing just 28 pounds. Kayana was rushed to a veterinary clinic for emergency care.

In coordination with the Gates County Sheriff’s Office, PETA fieldworkers returned to the property with deputies on January 7 and rescued five additional chained dogs, two goats, and one cat. Norfleet was charged in the case of Chase, while Hart was charged in the case of Kayana. Their next court date is April 6.

Credit: PETA

“No dog should endure the agony that Chance and Kayana did as they slowly wasted away outside on the end of a chain, but this misery will continue until officials confront the epidemic of animal neglect in northeast North Carolina,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA looks to the courts to prohibit Norfleet and Hart from ever having animals again, and urges everyone to report abuse when they see it.”

Every day, PETA fieldworkers find dogs chained or penned without access to food, water, or shelter, and in recent years, they have discovered numerous dead and dying dogs in backyards across North Carolina. Just last month, an emaciated dog named Daisy was found shivering and lethargic, guarding the remains of her deceased companion inside a dilapidated doghouse. Daisy was so starved that she’d been eating the dead dog with whom she had shared the small pen, in an attempt to survive.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.