TYLER COUNTY, Texas (East Texas News) – Two individuals have been detained after authorities rescued 54 dogs found living in dangerous overcrowding and abandoned conditions in Tyler County.
Ashley McFadden and her partner, Timothy Brockman, are charged with a felony count of cruelty to animals not used for livestock and a misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals not used for livestock.
The investigation began when McFadden asked the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office to visit a Colmesneil-area residence and certify it as a safe place for dogs, according to the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said they had received several worried calls about the dogs and conducted a property check on February 8.
Inside the home, deputies found cages stacked on top of one another, each containing at least one dog and up to five, the press release stated. A female dog and her puppies were also housed in a cage with a “significant” amount of feces.
Outside, several other dogs were observed chained, housed in a large pen, and running loose, all in various states of health, according to the release.
When the deputies approached a large pen covered with a tarp, McFadden warned them that the dogs could become agitated and dangerous. They also questioned her about dogs allegedly located at a business storefront, to which she responded that those dogs were highly aggressive and had killed several other dogs, the release noted.
At that moment, McFadden faced charges, but the deputies did not pursue seizure of the dogs, believing the situation might improve.
She was arrested on February 12 and released on bond set at $6,000, with the condition that she deliver the dogs to an authorized rescue within 21 days.
When deputies returned to the property on March 9, several dogs were still housed in cages. They also detected a odor they believed came from a carcass and later found a dead dog, according to the release. Investigators determined that McFadden had violated her bond and sought a court order to seize the dogs.
The court order was executed on Thursday, with McFadden and Brockman present in the home as deputies began removing the dogs.
Multiple plastic tubs, portable coolers, and dog crates found in a wooded area contained decomposing remains, fur, and bones. When questioned, Brockman told investigators that his job was to bury dead dogs and that he had simply been failing to do so, the release stated. Deputies estimated that 15 to 20 dogs were dead.
Other dogs were rescued from wire cages inside a small metal building and from pens and cages both inside and outside the residence. Dog waste was discovered throughout the home, and authorities removed between 35 and 40 dogs, according to the release.
“The odor of methane gas, produced by the dogs’ waste, was unbearable,” the release stated. “It posed an obvious danger to any person or animal behind the residence’s doors and windows.”
According to the release, a total of 54 dogs were rescued, many of whom appeared not to have access to food or water.
McFadden and Brockman were transported to the Tyler County Jail, where they remain on bond totaling $70,000.
The 54 dogs were handed over to “Who Saved Who,” a shelter in Montgomery County.
