WASHINGTON -- The owner of a Spokane County residence where 123 farm animals and pets were seized last month has been charged with five felony and three misdemeanor counts, animal control authorities said today.
Two of her children on the property at 6204 N. Idaho Road are also facing charges, according to the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service.
Carol Ann McMullen was charged with five felony counts of first-degree animal cruelty, which potentially carry five-year prison terms or $10,000 fines.
She was also charged with two counts of second-degree animal cruelty and one count of confinement in an unsafe manner. Those are misdemeanors.
Her son, James McMullen, was charged with four felony counts of first-degree animal cruelty and one count of confinement in an unsafe manner.
Her daughter, Kelly J. Covey, faces four felony counts of first-degree animal cruelty, three counts of second-degree animal cruelty and confinement in an unsafe manner.
In the Jan. 29 raid, officers seized 27 goats, nine guinea pigs, six rabbits and dozens of chickens and ducks, 15 cats and a sheep. The cats and sheep were euthanized.
In addition, officers found 78 dead animals on the property, located between State Line and Newman Lake.
During a raid in 2006, officers found 18 cats confined to an RV parked on the Idaho Road property. Covey was charged in that case.
In 2004, McMullen was convicted of 13 misdemeanor charges, including animal cruelty, stemming from a similar raid, according to news files.
(Spokesman - Feb 11, 2011)
