“Evidence Collection and Maintaining Chain of Custody in an Animal Cruelty or Animal Fighting Case” took place on August 20, 12–1 PM. It was a FREE CLE (open to all) hosted by the Animal Law and Criminal Law sections of The Florida Bar. This program offers an overview of crime scene processing, evidence collection, animal identification, and maintaining chain of custody when responding to an animal cruelty or animal fighting case. Presented by Nathan Zilak, Esq., ASCPA National Criminal Practice Counsel in the Legal Advocacy & Investigations Division, and ASCPA Forensic Analyst Jonesta Nolan, MS, CSCSA.

Course number 8587 is approved for 1 CLE, 1 Criminal Trial Law certification credit.

Nathan and Jonesta will walk through a warrant execution on a sample animal cruelty/animal fighting case. They will discuss how evidence can be collected, animals can be identified, and chain of custody can be maintained to preserve the potential criminal case.

Nathan Zilak, Esq. is National Criminal Practice Counsel in the Legal Advocacy & Investigations Division at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). In his role, he supports law enforcement and prosecutors in the investigation and prosecution of animal cruelty and animal fighting cases throughout the country. He is a former Assistant State Attorney in Florida’s 6th Judicial Circuit, and a longtime volunteer with the Pinellas Humane Society.

Jonesta Nolan, MS, CSCSA, is a Forensic Analyst at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in Gainesville, FL. With over 16 years of experience in the forensic field, she has held significant positions with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, the Denver Crime Laboratory, and the Dallas Police Department’s Crime Scene Response Section. She is a certified Senior Crime Scene Analyst by the International Association for Identification (IAI).