RIVESVILLE, W.Va. – A Marion County man was arrested on one county felony animal cruelty after an incident at an encampment in Fairmont Wednesday.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Department announced that Andrew Harrison, 39, of Rivesville, for allegedly abandoning puppies in an apartment on Clayton Street in Rivesville in the fall of 2024.
According to court documents, deputies responded to a call to the apartment from workers with the West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness on October 22nd, where they found several dead puppies in a bag and two remaining dogs that appeared to be starving. The two living puppies were found to have had worms coming from their noses and a lot of fleas, and the dead puppies appeared to have died from starvation.
Workers who reported the scene stated that the organization attempted to enter the apartment three separate times ahead of the October call, with no response given by Harrison since August. Several neighbors also told deputies that it had been weeks since anyone had seen Harrison at the apartment and that the dogs had been barking nonstop.
Harrison was arrested on a warrant from that incident on Wednesday after police were conducting a foot patrol on Washington Street in Fairmont.
Police also allegedly found 0.3 grams of methamphetamine in a container in his pocket when he was taken into custody.
Harrison is charged with animal cruelty, possession of a controlled substance and unlawful disposal of litter and is currently in the North Central Regional Jail with bond set at $10,000.