The Solicitor General for DeKalb County, Georgia, is Donna Coleman-Stribling. She leads the Office of the Solicitor-General, which prosecutes in DeKalb County. These cases include animal cruelty, neglect, tethering, and all other violations of the code related to animals. Her office also prosecutes misdemeanors related to domestic violence, elder abuse, cruelty to children, vehicular homicide, driving under the influence, harassment and stalking, and trespassing. The majority of animal abuse and neglect cases in DeKalb County are in the misdemeanor category because charges are typically made by animal enforcement officers who cannot issue felony charges like police officers. This does not mean that the crimes committed are simple or the victims only slightly harmed. On the contrary, by the time these animals are removed from the situation, many of them are maimed for life or close to death.

During the recent election (2024) we asked Donna Coleman-Stribling to comment on her positions on animal welfare. She did not respond to our request unlike CEO and Commission candidates. Prosecuting animal cruelty cases is a stated responsibility of the Solicitor General’s office but it is rarely charged by this office in either Magistrate or State Court.

The Solicitor Genera’s cases are responsible for a majority of the dog victims that are left to languish in our shelter for months or years while these cases are poorly prosecuted, drag on and are often dropped by the Solicitor General despite evidence to prove otherwise. DeKalb averages holding about 100 animals for court cases.

DeKalb County has the dubious distinction of being the only jurisdiction in the metro area to have this issue. Other counties work hard to move cases along quickly and encourage the surrender of animals whose owners are charged with abuse.

Charges are also frequently reduced from a charge for which there is evidence to a lower charge for which there is no evidence at all. Routinely, failure to vaccinate for rabies charges are dropped without concern as such does for public health.