A Phelps County court determined Thursday the 100-plus animals seized from an unlicensed puppy mill in mid-September were neglected or abused and ordered the animals to be placed in an appropriate facility.
Graphic accounts by Humane Society and Department of Agriculture investigators, who were on site when the animals were initially seized, told of filthy and overcrowded kennel conditions, inadequate or contaminated water suppplies and injured or neglected animals, before the court made its final ruling. Photographs documenting the condition of the facility and the animals housed in it accompanied their stories.
Owners of the animals, Phelps County residents Timothy W. King, 55, and Kimberly J. King, 51, sat quietly in the courtroom and never took the stand. The Kings have not been charged with any offense relative to the September search and seizure.
However, the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Friday it is going to request charges relating to animal abuse or neglect be filed by the Phelps County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
In an unrelated incident, Timothy King pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor charge of animal neglect, which involved an incident in March in which his mule and several dogs were found running loose in a neighbor’s yard. King was fined $150 and ordered to pay court costs..." More
