COLBERT COUNTY, Ala. — A 63-year-old Cherokee woman has been charged with 15 counts of animal cruelty after officials found dozens of horses and dogs in various stages of neglect on her property. The Colbert County Sheriff's Office says Debra Jane Catledge is also facing one charge of obstructing governmental operations.
The TimesDaily says Colbert County Animal Services Director Corey Speegle and his team found more than two dozen dead horses on Catledge's property.
Photos posted on social media by the Colbert County Animal Shelter show staff and volunteers wrangling dogs and horses with various signs of neglect, including matted fur, wounds, and inflamed tissue. The shelter had to temporarily close to the public on Friday when they were called to assist in rounding up the animals.
The sheriff's office says more charges against Catledge could be forthcoming at a grand jury hearing.
Meanwhile, the shelter continues to diligently look after the surviving animals.
"We are exhausted, mentally and physically," the shelter wrote on Sunday. "We are so thankful to all volunteers who came out and helped."
Donors have stepped up to assist the shelter with food needs for the influx of rescues; the shelter has also asked for assistance in office supplies. They said in a Monday social media update that they ran out of copy paper and file folders used in processing and documenting the animals brought in.
Donations are still being accepted at the shelter's Missouri Street headquarters in Tuscumbia.
Court records show Catledge pleaded guilty to three charges in an animal cruelty case in 2014; a plea agreement from that court proceeding reads in part, "[Defendant] shall no longer be allowed to breed dogs and discovery of a breeding operation shall be a violation of the conditions of her suspended sentence."
GALLERY: Colbert County animal abuse investigation
