KINGWOOD, W.Va. — Three people have been charged with four counts each of animal cruelty after cats were found emaciated, dehydrated and dead in a house on Yorks Run Road.
Free on $8,000 bail each are Tia Dawn McDaniel, 18, of Newburg; Andrew A. Rowand, 77, of Grafton; and Freda Gay McDaniel, 58, of Newburg. According to criminal complaints by Preston Deputy First Class B.E. Hovatter:
A witness told police when a dead cat was relinquished to him for cremation he found the cat locked in a small pet carrier and no one living at the home but other cats living there.
The deputy obtained a search warrant and found two underweight cats. A third cat was dead in a closet. There was no heat or running water in the home. He found only one can of cat food and no water. All but one of the cats was confined in a cage or bedroom.
He took the two live and two dead cats to a veterinarian, who said all were emaciated, dehydrated and had medical issues. The McDaniels and Rowand had been in the house within the last month.
Story by Kathy Plum, Dominion Post