Woman charged in animal abuse sting

TEXAS -- A Howell County woman has been charged for her involvement in an animal abuse case in early August that resulted the seizure of more than 100 animals of varying species from her home in an operation involving several government agencies and animal shelters from around Missouri, including The Animal Shelter of Texas County (TASTC).

Sharyll A. Taratuta, 61, of 10398 County Road 6970 at West Plains, was charged Sept. 27 with misdemeanor animal abuse. Her arraignment is set for Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. in Howell County associate circuit court.

A Belgian mare named Abigale and a donkey named Max
enjoy eating green grass on the grounds of The Animals Shelter
of Texas County after being seized from a Howell County
woman's property along with more than 100 other animals.

Taratula’s hoarding of animals was documented in several publications and on TV news reports.

After the discovery of dozens of dogs, cats and other animals living in squalor inside and outside her residence, numerous shelters and rescue organizations teamed up in a removal operation, with TASTC acting as headquarters and a staging area for animals on the way to safe haven. Agencies involved included the Missouri Departments of Conservation and Agriculture, and the Howell County Sheriff’s Department.

Taratula is known to use several aliases, including Shesha Tara, a name she used in correspondence with TASTC, according to shelter manager Marsha Martin.

(Houston Herald - Oct 8, 2012)