Cynthia Anderson charged with animal cruelty after drowning puppy at airport

NEBRASKA -- A Central Florida woman arrived at a Nebraska airport on Friday with three puppies and two dogs but grew desperate when she was told she couldn't fly with the pups because they were too young.

Then Volusia County resident Cynthia Anderson allegedly drowned one of the puppies — a Doberman — in an airport bathroom after trying to conceal the pooch in her carry-on luggage, according to the Grand Island Police.

The puppies, all believed to be three weeks old or less, were too young to fly, said Grand Island police Capt. Dean Elliott.

"Their eyes weren't even open," added Elliott.

Dogs must be at least 8 weeks old to fly. The other two puppies were picked up by the woman's parents, Elliot said.

It's unknown why the third puppy wasn't also picked up, said Elliott.

Anderson, 56, of Edgewater was seen entering a bathroom before another woman reported finding a dead Doberman puppy in the toilet.

She also had two older dogs with her that were cleared to travel.

The Grand Island Central Nebraska Humane Society assisted in the investigation and found water in the puppy's lungs. They determined the cause of the puppy's death was drowning.

The other puppies are being cared for by the Humane Society.

"They're doing great," said Laurie Dethloff, executive director with the Humane Society. "They started off a little scared but are adjusting well."

She said the organization is working to figure out ownership of the puppies, as well as looking into the condition of the two others dogs who remain with Anderson's parents.

In Volusia County, Anderson has a criminal record dating back to 2010, when she was arrested and fined for a charge of retail theft, according to court records.

She racked up other robbery-related charges over the next few years.

In 2011, she was sentenced to six months probation for grand theft charges. That same year, she was arrested again for issuing a worthless check, records allege.

Last year, she was arrested for battery and trespassing in a occupied structure and sentenced again to a six months' probation, records show.

She violated that probation and is awaiting sentencing in a grand-theft case from November of last year, records show.

Anderson was out on bail and is being held at Hall County Jail on charges of animal abuse.

(Grand Island Independent - Jan 27, 2015)