Does Director Thomas Control the Media?

Photo is my eviction notice from the sheriff's department.

Last month I took a Beacon reporter to the West Volusia Humane Society so she could write an article on the city's attempt to move to a No Kill thus Humane Community. Of course Mrs. Thomas was nowhere to be seen but within 10 minutes her employee had evidently called her because she came roaring down the dirt road-in her car of course. Or was that just a coincidence that she appeared so quickly? I had warned the reporter though that Thomas was rarely on site.

As the reporter snapped photos Thomas stormed over to us and demanded to know what we were doing there. (Oh people can't visit the shelter and take photos?)

I explained that the reporter was going to write a story because the city was thinking about leasing some of the empty delapidated kennels for animals her husband, Gary Thomas, animal control officer for DeLand, picks up! Isn't that convenient?

She told us that if the reporter wanted an interview she was to call her in advance and set up a time - like the shelter is closed to public access?

At any rate we continued our tour of the place as the reporter snapped photo after photo of sad caged animals. I pointed out to her that they had changed the kennel cards so no one could tell when the animals arrived. That was convenient because now no one can prove that many had been caged for up to 7 years.

Mrs. Thomas went into her office and made a phone call. Within a few minutes who should arrive but a deputy sheriff. He hunted me up and informed me that I was to be FOREVER BANNED from the West Volusia Humane Society. Ahhh......was Gloria getting scared? Were we closing in on the truth?

While I signed the notice agreeing never to darken the drab filthy destitute animal prison again the reporter snapped a few photographs of me signing while Gloria's volunteers did the same.

That really infuriated Mrs. Thomas! She stormed inside and called the Beacon! We left. And quite frankly I laughed all the way out of that place because Mrs. Thomas proved my point to the reporter: Something very strange has been going on at the West Volusia Humane Society that has absolutely nothing to do with saving animals' lives.

Well, the reporter then emailed the photos to the Beacon. But within a few hours Mrs. Thomas was back on the phone again threatening to sue the paper if those photographs were published. She also called DeLand's City Manager to complain about me but Mr. Pleus explained that he was interested in a story being written and he had encouraged the reporter's visit.

Did a story and photo appear in the Beacon? Nope!

Several weeks later TV Channel 13 contacted me for an interview regarding the strange occurrences at the "shelter" (and I use that term with tongue in cheek). He then interviewed Susan Pepper-Bates who had tried for quite some time to adopt an animal. The reporter told us to watch the evening news. We did.

Did the story appear on TV Channel 13? Nope!

When I called the reporter the next day to ask why no story he responded: "When I went to talk to Mrs. Thomas about ARK [Animal Rescue Konsortium] and FloridaWild Veterinary Hospital offering to buy all the animals, clear out the shelter so she could start all over again and work with the city, she denied that you [Maggi] had ever presented her with a contract. My editor said there were evidently discrepancies in the situation." (In other words sounds like Maggi and Susan are liars!!)

I offered to give him a copy of emails between Mrs. Thomas and myself proving that she did indeed have a copy of the contract signed by both ARK and FloridaWild.

Did TV Channel 13 request the documents? Nope!

QUERY: Does Mrs. Thomas controls the media? Are they afraid of her?