Texas: Hewitt ‘dog hoarder’ indicted on child endangerment charges

TEXAS -- A Hewitt woman who was living in what officials described as a filthy, unhealthy home with her two daughters and 56 dogs was indicted Wednesday.
 
A McLennan County grand jury indicted Melanie Barrier on two counts of endangering a child, a state jail felony punishable by up to two years behind bars.

Barrier’s daughters, ages 12 and 14, were removed from her home in February after officers discovered her and the girls living in filthy conditions with 56 dogs.

Officials at the time called Barrier a “dog hoarder” and said she was trying to run a dog shelter in her small duplex in the 800 block of Parkview Circle.

Barrier, 56, is working with Child Protective Services workers and 74th State District Judge Gary Coley Jr. toward the goal of reuniting with her daughters and trying to prove she can raise them in a healthy environment. They have been placed in foster care.

All but four of the 56 dogs seized from Barrier’s home were ordered forfeited by Justice of the Peace W.H. “Pete” Peterson. The judge also ordered Barrier to pay almost $8,500 to the Waco Animal Shelter for feeding and caring for the dogs.

Authorities say 10 of the dogs have confirmed owners in Texas and at least four other states.

Barrier remains free on bail after she was charged with two counts of child endangerment and 10 counts of animal cruelty.

 

CPS officials said in court documents the girls were living in a home filled with dog feces and urine and suffered dog bites trying to break up fights among the animals. One of the girls told a CPS caseworker that she could not walk in the home without almost stepping on dog feces.

The CPS specialist said “the smell of dog urine and feces was horrific” even outside the home. One of the girls said she slept on a top bunk, and her sister slept on the bottom, where there were “always dogs and the bed is always dirty,” according to court records filed in the case.

The animal cruelty charges are related to the condition of the home and for each animal that was malnourished.

“Some of the animals were stacked in cages on top of each other, where they used the restroom on each other,” Hewitt Police Chief Jim Devlin said in February.

(Waco Tribune - April 23, 2015)

Earlier:

• Ten animal cruelty charges added to Hewitt 'dog hoarder'