Marianna woman accused of animal cruelty arrested in Wisconsin

FLORIDA -- A Florida woman accused of animal cruelty after investigators found 42 dogs at her former home in Marianna — including four dogs that had died — was captured in Wausau, Wis., on Thursday after a joint investigation by police in both states.

Heidi Westman, 38, who court records list as having a Wausau address, will be extradited to the Jackson County Jail in Marianna, where she faces 42 felony counts of animal cruelty, Jackson County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jeff Snell said Friday. Westman faces up to 210 years in prison and 210,000 in fines if convicted on all counts.

The four dead dogs were being cannibalized by the remaining dogs in her home, which were left in “putrid conditions” and without food or water for an “extended amount of time,” according to a news release from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. Many of the surviving dogs face significant health issues, some of them life-threatening, according to the release.

“The house was in pretty rough shape,” Snell said. “It was just an awful scene; you can hardly imagine.”

An investigation began Aug. 8 when animal control officers in Florida searched Westman’s home and found she had abandoned the animals; a warrant then was issued for her arrest, Snell said.

Another former resident of the home, Leland Emery Kluth, 43, also was wanted in connection with the alleged abuse. Kluth turned himself in to police Tuesday in Troy, Ala., and was released after authorities learned Kluth had been out of town for an extended period of time before the animals were found, Snell said. Investigators do not believe Kluth was aware of the abuse, he said.

Authorities do not believe Kluth was involved
in the cruelty/abandonment of the pets

Officials from an animal rights activist group contacted Wausau police after they learned through Facebook posts that Westman was headed back to Wausau, where she lived before moving to Florida, Wausau Police Lt. Bill Kolb said. Westman was arrested at about 11:30 a.m. after a traffic stop in the 600 block of Marquardt Road, according to a police report.

Westman appeared Friday for an extradition hearing in Marathon County Circuit Court and is being held in the Marathon County Jail pending transfer to Florida, court records show. When she arrives in Marianna, she will be held on a $210,000 bond; prosecutors will have 45 days to file official charges against her, Snell said.

“People get pretty upset about these kinds of cases,” Snell said. “It’s not hard to understand why.”

(Tallahassee.com - Aug 23 2013)

Earlier:

• AMERICA'S MOST WANTED: Pair wanted on 42 counts of animal cruelty