Man acquitted of endangerment, but his animals died in custody

By Andria Simmons

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

When some of Steve Santhuff’s rare and endangered turtle collection was returned to him last week, it should have been a victorious moment.

But Santhuff is far from happy.

While the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has given back 128 of about 500 turtles seized from Santhuff in 2005, along with 14 hatchlings that were birthed in the interim, more than 300 of the turtles the amateur herpetologist lovingly tended to for two decades have died. The state puts the death toll at 309, but Santhuff claims the number is 362.

The other turtles were whisked away only to be returned maimed or deformed.

“They are not beautiful turtles anymore,” Santhuff said. “It’s almost sad to look at them. They are scarred and pitted, and one of them had their leg bit off by an otter.”

When asked about the turtle deaths and ailments, state DNR spokesman Rick Lavender said “because of the pending litigation we can’t respond to questions about the type of quality of care of the turtles.”

State and federal wildlife officers confiscated turtles from Santhuff, 37, of Lawrenceville, as part of a criminal investigation into allegations that he illegally possessed them. A Gwinnett County jury acquitted Santhuff of criminal charges in February 2008.

But the state still has not returned all the turtles — including three different species of map turtles valued at between $100 and $350 each, and several alligator snapping turtles, Santhuff said.

Lavender said 47 of the shell-backed critters that are protected species in Georgia remain in state custody. Those turtles have been farmed out to the Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell, the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield and the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory in Aiken, S.C.

Santhuff believes there are only 44 turtles still in state custody. He says he plans to proceed with a lawsuit in Gwinnett County Superior Court and two lawsuits in federal court. The lawsuits aim to get the remainder of his turtles back. They also seek more than $1 million in damages to compensate for the loss of the turtles and civil rights violations he claims to have suffered regarding the legalities of the search warrant.