Dead fish found in drained Greensboro pond

Hundreds of dead fish were found in a shallow pool in the drained bed of a pond on Koger Boulevard in southwest Greensboro this afternoon. The pond lies between Holland office park at the intersection of Stanley Road and Koger Boulevard and the Alamance building at 4905 Koger Boulevard. Both office parks are owned by Christopher Smith, who is the president of Allegiance Realty Corp. in Charlotte. Smith leases office space to a number of federal law enforcement agencies at Holland Park.


Greg Wilson, a commercial real estate agent with CB Richard Ellis, said the pond is not owned by Smith or Allegiance Realty Corp. He said he believes the property is owned by a company called Arbor Run. Guilford County Tax Department records show that Arbor Run Venture, care of Canal Holdings LLC, owns the property at 6 Marithe Court, to the south of the Alamance building. Neither company is registered with the NC Corporations Division. Ronald C. Davis of Winston-Salem, the managing member of the similarly named Arbor Run Partners, said his company does not own the pond.

The fish kill caught the attention of Norfolk, Va.-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA.

Stephanie Bell, the organization's case work manager, said PETA contacted Guilford County Animal Control this morning, and case officer Dan Essary visited the scene.

"He told me he was consulting with the county attorney to see if any criminal charges could be filed," Bell said. "We're very concerned with animals that are left to suffer and die unnecessarily. I can tell you that Animal Control is taking the matter seriously. They are quite distraught that no one had called them sooner."

Susan Massengale, a spokeswoman for the NC Division of Water Resources, said if the pond is privately owned and not hydrologically connected to the state water system the owner could drain it and get rid of the fish without state oversight or regulation.