Ten animal cruelty charges added to Hewitt 'dog hoarder'

TEXAS -- The Hewitt woman accused of “dog hoarding” and child endangerment now also faces 10 counts of animal cruelty, according to jail records.
 
Melanie Barrier, 56, was arrested Wednesday on two counts of child endangerment after her two daughters and 56 dogs were removed Monday from her Hewitt duplex, where she was allegedly trying to run an animal shelter.

 

Barrier was taken to the McLennan County Jail on the charges about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Hewitt Police Chief James Devlin said.

She was released Thursday afternoon on a $16,000 bond.

An affidavit filed Monday in the case called Barrier a “dog hoarder.”

Another document filed Wednesday alleges that the girls, ages 12 and 14, suffered bloody dog bites from incidents in which “the dogs would sometimes get in fights and they would have to break them up.”

“The living conditions were so bad that the children were sleeping in beds with urine and feces,” the document says.

Police originally said there were 57 dogs removed from the home in the 800 block of Parkview Circle.

The 10 animal cruelty charges were filed Thursday, as the Waco Animal Shelter continued evaluating the dogs and determining how many were malnourished or mistreated.

At least six of the animals have microchips, Devlin said.

“We’re going to do our best to figure out where they came from,” he said.

Several people from Texas and out of state have called police, claiming to recognize stolen pets in news coverage of the seizure, Devlin said Tuesday.

Child Protective Services removed the girls about 5:45 p.m. Monday, about an hour before Hewitt and Waco animal control officers and firefighters seized the animals.

On Monday, Devlin said, “It’s probably the worst thing I’ve ever seen.”

 

“Some of the animals were stacked in cages on top of each other, where they used the restroom on each other,” Devlin noted.

Shelter veterinarian Ron Epps assessed the 56 dachshunds and bulldogs as they came into the shelter Monday evening. He said Tuesday many were friendly and in good spirits.

The Waco Animal Shelter took in the animals. They will be held at 2032 Circle Road for 10 days, at which point Barrier can make a case for their return or the animals will be permanently taken from her care. Devlin said Barrier claims she owns 10 of the dogs.

None of the animals will be available for adoption until that decision is made.

(Waco Tribune-Herald  - ‎Feb 14, 2015)