Video shows dogs in poor conditions on T or C mayor’s property

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – What started as a call about two loose dogs in a Truth or Consequences trailer park, quickly turned into something else back in early September.

“He’s skin and bones, look at him. He’s got a wound on his mouth. He’s got a what? A wound on his mouth.”

That’s just one exchange caught on body camera video between two T or C Animal Control officers. 

“Oh my gosh look at this water,” said one officer.

They found multiple issues and ordinance violations in the area holding 14 dogs. 

“Look at this water, it’s worse, it’s green slime,” said one officer. “What on earth did we stumble on.”

Body camera video shows their search for the owner with a possible explanation. When someone opened the door, it turned out to be a familiar face.

“Hi yeah I’m Mayor Forrister, I know who you guys are.”

Officers’ videos captured T or C Mayor Amanda Forrister open the door. The lead officer tries to explain the ordinance violations.

Officer: “So the water is basically slime and with that being said, with our ordinance, they have to have potable.”

Amanda Forrister: “I know the ordinances I signed them.”

She ends up telling officers to “do what you gotta do” but later tells them to cite her husband, Lane Forrister. 

Court records show Lane Forrister pled not guilty to four criminal offenses, including cruelty care and maintenance, license violations for 14 dogs, vaccination violations for 14 dogs, and a site and kennel permit violation. 

Body camera video from T or C police shows Forrister spoke to the same responding officers over the phone before that. 

“I’m not real happy about the whole situation because I’ve dealt with this too many times now, I’m tired of it,” said Lane. “These are working dogs they’re not pets, they are not malnourished or however y’all want to call it, that’s what they’re supposed to look like. They can’t be fat or else they won’t be able to do their job.”

He also questions the officer about how they concluded the water on the property was not “potable”.

“Has it been tested?” Lane asked over the phone. “I mean what do y’all consider potable water, I know it’s green, but that’s because that’s what water does. I mean they get cleaned out once a week.”

Lane ends with an ask of the officers. 

“I’d like to set up a meeting with you and the chief of police before we go to court and do this,” said Forrister. “We need to sit down with somebody and get this handled.”

Officers wrote the citations at the Forrister property on Sept. 6,  but records show later voided the citations, and ended up filing a criminal complaint almost two months later. 

KOB 4 reached out to the attorney representing Lane for a comment, and the T or C Police Department for an update on the case, but did not hear back.