Landlord organizing citizens to protect animals and children

A Savannah woman, who says that she owns the home in St Johns County where a tenant’s dog was brutally raped by a sexual predator recently, has reported to Historic City News that she is organizing members of the community to promote tougher laws to protect our animals and children.

On August 1, we reported that 52-year old sexual predator, James Lee Lyons, had been arrested for the second time in less than a week; charged again with animal cruelty and sexual activity involving an animal, as well as an additional charge of failure to properly register as a sexual predator. Lyons, who is represented by local attorney, Josh Alexander, is no longer in custody.

The victim’s landlord, Tracy Lee Opra, said that she wants to be a voice for Bailey; the abused female dog that was living in her property. Opra has established a facebook page to coordinate her efforts under the moniker “T.A.P.” an acronym for Together Against Predators. Visit the page at http://www.facebook.com/TAP.Together

“If sweet Bailey does not make it through this, they say no additional charges will be filed against Lyons because she is a dog and not a human,” Opra told Historic City News. “Please help me fight so other animals, children and families don’t have to go through this.”

Opra reported that she has already contacted Florida legislators in her fight for tougher laws to protect animals and children from sexual predators like Lyons.

As part of her campaign to strengthen sexual predator laws, Opra is asking citizens to compose a letter to Seventh Judicial Circuit Judge J. Michael Traynor and send it to her by e-mail. She intends to combine all of the responses and deliver them to the court.

If you would like to be a voice for Bailey and show support for “Together Against Predators”, you may contact Opra through her facebook page, or by e-mail at tap.together@yahoo.com

On July 26th, Lyons was released after posting two surety bonds totaling $11,000 on the first charges of sexual activity involving an animal and felony cruelty to animals. Then, on August 1st, he was released, again, after posting three additional surety bonds totaling $61,000 for the second charges of sexual activity involving an animal and felony cruelty to animals, plus the additional charge of failure to properly register.

Lyons was released from prison on June 14, 2011; after serving a 13-year sentence for attempted sexual battery of a child in St Johns County in January 1998, and committing a sexual act with a child while in a familial role.

Yesterday, a felony pretrial hearing was set for Lyons on all five open counts to be held on September 12 at 1:30 p.m. in Courtroom 316 before Judge J. Michael Traynor.