2 charged with animal cruelty in Yorkville

NEW YORK -- Two Yorkville residents face a total of 14 counts of animal cruelty after their Siberian Huskies were found to be neglected, the Yorkville Police Department said.

The dogs were found after the police department received an anonymous tip earlier this month about the condition of the animals at 12 Bayliss Ave. No one was home when an officer visited the residence, but he was able to obtain a search warrant based on statements from neighbors, police said.

When the officers returned that night, they found three adult dogs and four puppies inside the house.

The dogs were locked in dog crates on an enclosed -- but unheated -- back porch and did not have food or water available, police said.

The dogs also were covered in dried feces and urine and had obvious infections and other signs of neglect, police said.

All seven dogs were taken to the Stevens-Swan Humane Society where they were treated by an on-call veterinarian from CNY Veterinarian Services. The month-old puppies were hypothermic and malnourished, and were suffering from eye infections, bleeding sores and worms, among other conditions, police said. One lost its vision in one eye to an infection.

The adults were in better condition and required only minimal care.

After a week-long investigation, police located the dogs' owner -- 53-year-old Julia Westcott -- in Utica and charged her with four counts of failing to provide proper sustenance, three counts of failing to license and three counts of failing to vaccinate. She was arraigned and sent to Oneida County jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond, police said.

Police also charged the homeowner, 54-year-old David Ingersoll, with four counts of failing to provide proper sustenance. He was arraigned and sent to Oneida County jail in lieu of $4,000 cash bail or $8,000 bond, police said.

Both will appear in Yorkville Village Court on Monday.

All four puppies are expected to fully recover, although one is still battling an eye infection and may require surgery, police said.

(Observer-Dispatch  - Nov 15, 2013)