No jail time for couple charged in animal cruelty case
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. -- The couple accused of running an alleged puppy mill operation has reached a plea deal with prosecutors.
On Tuesday Marjorie and Richard Sundberg entered an Alford plea for four counts of animal cruelty, two first-degree and two second-degree. Under the Alford plea, the defendant acknowledges he or she would likely be found guilty, but does not admit guilt.
Under the agreement, the Sundbergs will perform community service and pay restitution to law enforcement and animal care agencies. They will also be prohibited form owning any animals.
The two were charged after 443 neglected and malnourished dogs were found living in deplorable conditions at the Sundbergs' Mount Vernon kennel in January 2009. (View photos >>>)
Detectives said the dogs were kept in tight cages contaminated with feces and urine that sat alongside bodies of dead dogs in unheated spaces. Many dogs had been left without any food or water. Veterinarians later determined some of dogs were suffering from coccidia, an intestinal disease, and many others were pregnant.
Veterinarians who examined the seized dogs also said 75 of them need emergency dental care because of rotting teeth or no teeth. These dogs can't eat without a special diet, the vets said.
Investigators first learned of the Sundbergs' operation after serving search warrants at the homes of their daughters, Renee Roske and Mary Anne Holleman in Snohomish County.
At one of the homes, deputies found "several hidden compartments built into the house to hide dogs," court documents said. Thirty nine dogs were found in the two homes; however, none of those dogs were seized.
At Holleman's kennel in Gold Bar, deputies found 155 dogs 87 of them of them stashed in an attic, living in ghastly conditions so horrific that it shocked even veteran animal control officers, investigators said.
Officers said the odor from the feces and urine was so overpowering it could be detected well outside the residence. A large commercial dumpster stood in the yard overflowing with dog waste.
Medications and used syringes, used to treat sick animals, were found scattered in front of pens and in a refrigerator.
The dogs were also found to be infested with fleas and parasites. Many of the dogs had severe injuries or infections, including skin lesions and ruptured eyes.
In a freezer in the home, officers found four dead puppies. In charging documents, a veterinarian said one of the dogs appears to have been alive when it was placed in the freezer.
Officers also found a high-frequency device that had been installed to keep the dogs from barking.
Investigators seized all the dogs from the property, as well as four cats and three parrots.
Neither Roske nor Holleman have been charged. A couple hired to live on site at Holleman's kennel and care for the dogs have been charged, convicted and sentenced, however.
Roske had hired Jason and Serenna Larsen to live on site at her kennel and take care of the dogs, according to the search warrant. Roske runs the Wags N Wiggles Pet Shop out of her home in Snohomish. Jason and Serenna Larsen were sentenced to a year in jail -- the maximum sentence allowed.
The Sundbergs are scheduled to be sentenced in January.
On Tuesday Marjorie and Richard Sundberg entered an Alford plea for four counts of animal cruelty, two first-degree and two second-degree. Under the Alford plea, the defendant acknowledges he or she would likely be found guilty, but does not admit guilt.
Under the agreement, the Sundbergs will perform community service and pay restitution to law enforcement and animal care agencies. They will also be prohibited form owning any animals.
The two were charged after 443 neglected and malnourished dogs were found living in deplorable conditions at the Sundbergs' Mount Vernon kennel in January 2009. (View photos >>>)
Detectives said the dogs were kept in tight cages contaminated with feces and urine that sat alongside bodies of dead dogs in unheated spaces. Many dogs had been left without any food or water. Veterinarians later determined some of dogs were suffering from coccidia, an intestinal disease, and many others were pregnant.
Veterinarians who examined the seized dogs also said 75 of them need emergency dental care because of rotting teeth or no teeth. These dogs can't eat without a special diet, the vets said.
Investigators first learned of the Sundbergs' operation after serving search warrants at the homes of their daughters, Renee Roske and Mary Anne Holleman in Snohomish County.
At one of the homes, deputies found "several hidden compartments built into the house to hide dogs," court documents said. Thirty nine dogs were found in the two homes; however, none of those dogs were seized.
At Holleman's kennel in Gold Bar, deputies found 155 dogs 87 of them of them stashed in an attic, living in ghastly conditions so horrific that it shocked even veteran animal control officers, investigators said.
Officers said the odor from the feces and urine was so overpowering it could be detected well outside the residence. A large commercial dumpster stood in the yard overflowing with dog waste.
Medications and used syringes, used to treat sick animals, were found scattered in front of pens and in a refrigerator.
The dogs were also found to be infested with fleas and parasites. Many of the dogs had severe injuries or infections, including skin lesions and ruptured eyes.
In a freezer in the home, officers found four dead puppies. In charging documents, a veterinarian said one of the dogs appears to have been alive when it was placed in the freezer.
Officers also found a high-frequency device that had been installed to keep the dogs from barking.
Investigators seized all the dogs from the property, as well as four cats and three parrots.
Neither Roske nor Holleman have been charged. A couple hired to live on site at Holleman's kennel and care for the dogs have been charged, convicted and sentenced, however.
Roske had hired Jason and Serenna Larsen to live on site at her kennel and take care of the dogs, according to the search warrant. Roske runs the Wags N Wiggles Pet Shop out of her home in Snohomish. Jason and Serenna Larsen were sentenced to a year in jail -- the maximum sentence allowed.
The Sundbergs are scheduled to be sentenced in January.
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