Ex-animal officer charged with animal cruelty

MASSACHUSETTS -- A former Wareham animal control officer has been accused of failing to abide by the animal welfare laws she once enforced.

Anna Nelson is facing an animal cruelty charge after a neighbor called the cops about her sick, starving dog, authorities said.

 

Officer Christopher Charbonneau of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said the 10-year-old terrier mix named Angel had to be euthanized due to organ failure. The pet was so thin his bones were protruding. He was also infested with parasites.

Nelson, who could not be reached for comment, faces up to five years in prison and a $2,500 fine if convicted. Charbonneau said Nelson told him she was too ashamed to call for help.

“That’s the poorest excuse,” he said. “You’re a prior animal control officer. You’re held to a higher standard.”

(Boston Herald - April 5, 2013)