TJCA Teacher Leaves School Amid Animal-Cruelty Charges Involving Deaths of Six Dogs

What happened: On March 27, 2018, Patricia Schmoutz, then 46, and her husband, Stephen Schmoutz, then 45, were arrested in Cleveland County, North Carolina, on animal-cruelty charges involving the alleged neglect and starvation of dogs at their residence. Patricia Schmoutz was a teacher at Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy's high school. The arrests followed an investigation by Cleveland County Animal Control. According to information obtained by The Daily Courier from the Cleveland County Clerk of Court's office, animal-control personnel discovered at least 13 dogs suffering from neglect at the couple's property. Six dogs were reportedly found dead inside a wire crate. The couple faced multiple criminal charges relating to cruelty and the alleged deaths of animals through starvation. Both were released after posting $10,000 bonds.

On April 10, The Daily Courier published an article titled "Former teacher faces animal cruelty charges," reporting both the allegations and Patricia Schmoutz's departure from TJCA.

The newspaper contacted Headmaster Joe Maimone, who confirmed that Schmoutz was no longer teaching at the Academy's high school. Maimone declined to provide details concerning her dismissal. The reporting established that the criminal case and Schmoutz's departure from TJCA occurred within the same period, although the school did not publicly explain the circumstances or sequence of the employment decision.

What was established:

Animal-control investigation discovers six dead dogs

According to the April 10 newspaper report, Cleveland County Animal Control officers investigated conditions at the Schmoutzes' residence in Shelby. The investigation reportedly uncovered at least 13 neglected dogs. Six dogs were found dead inside a wire crate. The discovery resulted in criminal charges against both Patricia and Stephen Schmoutz. The allegations concerned the animals' treatment and the deprivation of necessary sustenance, with prosecutors alleging that neglect had resulted in multiple deaths. The circumstances were particularly serious because the reported investigation involved numerous animals, rather than a single isolated incident. The death of six dogs also distinguished the case from complaints involving inadequate shelter, confinement, or other neglect allegations in which animals survived. The newspaper attributed its account of the investigation to information obtained from the Cleveland County Clerk of Court's office and reporting by The Shelby Star.

Both defendants arrested March 27

Patricia and Stephen Schmoutz were arrested on March 27, 2018. The newspaper reported that both subsequently posted $10,000 bonds. The criminal charges involved alleged animal cruelty and deaths attributed to starvation. The April 10 article contained differing accounts of the exact charges. One passage described six counts involving the killing of animals through starvation and three additional animal-cruelty counts against each defendant. However, the article also cited The Shelby Star as reporting five felony and two misdemeanor charges against each person. The discrepancy makes the original charging documents particularly important to establishing the precise criminal allegations. The central facts reported consistently were that both defendants had been arrested, both faced multiple animal-cruelty charges, and the investigation concerned at least 13 neglected dogs, six of which were discovered dead.

TJCA teacher disappears from school website during spring break

The newspaper also investigated Patricia Schmoutz's employment status at Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy. According to a source cited in the April 10 article, Schmoutz was still teaching when students and faculty left for spring break approximately two weeks earlier. During the vacation, her name was reportedly removed from the school's staff directory. Her individual teacher webpage also disappeared from TJCA's website. The timing suggests that the Academy changed her publicly listed employment status shortly after the arrests. The source was not identified in the article, and the newspaper did not reproduce an administrative notice establishing the precise date on which her employment ended. Nevertheless, the removal of both her directory listing and teacher webpage was a significant development. For students and families, the disappearance of a teacher from the school's official website could represent one of the first visible indications of a staffing change.

Headmaster Joe Maimone confirms her departure

When The Daily Courier contacted TJCA, Headmaster Joe Maimone confirmed that Schmoutz was no longer teaching at the high school. He declined to discuss the employment matter further.

Maimone told the newspaper: "We don't have anything further to say at this time." The school therefore acknowledged that Schmoutz was no longer teaching but did not publicly explain when the decision occurred, how it was communicated, or what administrative considerations informed it. The newspaper referred to her departure as a dismissal. However, the reporting did not include a termination notice, a resignation letter, or a statement from Schmoutz herself explaining how her employment ended. That distinction is relevant to reconstructing the school's actual response.

What was publicly established by April 10 was that Schmoutz had ceased teaching at TJCA shortly after her arrest, while the Academy declined to explain the circumstances.

Board minutes provide little insight into the departure

TJCA's published Board minutes provide a useful contemporaneous comparison. At the March 6, 2018 meeting, several weeks before the arrests, the Board discussed routine school business, fundraising, facilities, staffing policies, and the forthcoming charter renewal process. There was no reference to Schmoutz or the subsequent criminal investigation. The Board next met on April 11, one day after The Daily Courier published its report. The minutes identify Headmaster Joe Maimone, Upper Campus Principal Gary Blake, Grammar School Principal Jason Cole, and Human Resources representative Dianna Bridges among those attending. The Board discussed school finances, enrollment, charter renewal, facilities, and several personnel-policy matters. However, the minutes contain no recorded discussion identifying Schmoutz, the animal-cruelty charges, or her departure from the high school.

Why the incident matters: This incident belongs in TJCA's historical archive for two reasons.

First, the criminal allegations were serious. Animal-control personnel reportedly found numerous dogs suffering from neglect, including six dead animals. The arrests and multiple criminal charges were significant events independently of the defendants' employment connections. Second, the incident involved a teacher whose departure from a publicly funded school coincided with those criminal proceedings. TJCA confirmed that the teacher was no longer employed but offered little explanation. The available record leaves questions about how the school responded to the developing case, how it communicated the staffing change, and what arrangements were made for affected students. The alleged conduct occurred away from campus and was not reported as involving TJCA students or school operations. Nevertheless, the employment connection explains why local journalists sought comment from the Academy and why the school's response became part of the contemporary reporting. The historical finding is that a TJCA high school teacher departed during the same period that she and her husband faced multiple charges arising from the alleged starvation and neglect of dogs, and the school publicly declined to explain the circumstances of her departure. The record deserves preservation both as a serious local criminal case and as an example of an employment matter that attracted public scrutiny but received little explanation from school leadership.

Original evidence:

• The Daily Courier (Forest City, NC), April 10, 2018, p. A1, "Former teacher faces animal cruelty charges."Contemporary article documenting the arrests, investigation, reported discovery of neglected and dead dogs, criminal charges, removal of Patricia Schmoutz's staff directory listing, and comments from TJCA Headmaster Joe Maimone.

• The Shelby Star, late March–early April 2018, animal-cruelty reporting cited by The Daily Courier. The April 10 article attributed its account of felony and misdemeanor charges to this publication. The original Shelby Star article has not yet been incorporated into the archive.

• TJCA Board Minutes — March 6, 2018. Records school operations and staffing-policy discussions preceding the arrests.

• TJCA Board Minutes — April 11, 2018. The first regular Board meeting after the incident became public; contains no recorded discussion identifying Schmoutz or the criminal investigation.

• TJCA Board Minutes — May 1, 2018. Subsequent meeting minutes containing routine school and personnel-policy business but no recorded reference to the case.

• N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-360. North Carolina's animal-cruelty statute, including provisions addressing cruelty and the intentional or malicious deprivation of necessary sustenance.

Subsequent developments: The April 10, 2018 article reported that the couple was scheduled for a possible bond-modification hearing on April 11 and a probable-cause hearing on April 19. The materials reviewed for this entry do not establish what occurred at those hearings. They also do not contain final court dispositions, plea agreements, sentencing records, or other documents confirming how the criminal cases were resolved. As of October 2026, the original charges and reported investigation have been documented, but a final disposition has not been independently established. This is the most important missing development in the criminal case.

Cleveland County court records from 2018 would help clarify the original charging counts, subsequent proceedings, and ultimate outcomes for both defendants. The employment matter likewise remains incompletely documented. TJCA confirmed in April 2018 that Patricia Schmoutz was no longer teaching, but the available records do not establish the precise effective date of her departure or whether the Academy formally terminated her employment. The archived Board minutes do not supply that information. TJCATruth.com welcomes original court filings, case disposition records, contemporaneous coverage, school communications, and other historical materials that could establish the subsequent legal proceedings and the Academy's response.

Report from the community: The April 10, 2018 newspaper report provides the principal contemporary account of the incident. It includes information attributed to the Cleveland County Clerk of Court's office and a direct statement from TJCA Headmaster Joe Maimone. The report also refers to an unidentified source who stated that Patricia Schmoutz had been teaching before spring break and that her name and webpage disappeared from the school's website during the vacation. These accounts establish that the employment change was publicly observed and that the Academy confirmed her departure when questioned. The reviewed material does not contain firsthand statements from Patricia or Stephen Schmoutz, the investigating animal-control officers, affected students, or TJCA employees directly involved in the staffing transition. TJCATruth.com welcomes firsthand accounts from individuals familiar with the 2018 investigation, the school's communication of the employment change, or the arrangements made for students following Schmoutz's departure. We are particularly interested in contemporaneous records or recollections that clarify the sequence of events without relying on speculation about the defendants or the school's decisions. Individuals with relevant firsthand experiences are encouraged to contact TJCATruth.com. Requests for anonymity will be respected, and identifying information will not be published without the contributor's explicit consent. All submissions will be handled with discretion and confidentiality.