- Arkansas, Washington County, USA -
24-year-old AMANDA DENARO (pictured below), was arrested Tuesday, April 21, on counts of aggravated cruelty to animals.
DENARO is accused of abandoning 18 dogs and a cat when she was evicted on July 5, from a house on 16387 Hicks Road in Elkins.
According to an arrest warrant, the sheriff’s office received a complaint about DENARO on July 7.
Charles Hicks said the woman had been evicted, and she left the dogs and the cat behind.
Hicks also said some dogs were deceased, and others were still alive.
He said he found seven puppies, and two of them were dead, so he put them in a freezer.
According to Hicks, DENARO had moved to New York so, all the animals had been left uncared for for two days.
Melissa Metcalf, an animal control officer with the sheriff's office, was called in.
Ms. Metcalf said she had to kick the trash out of the way to get the door to the back porch open.
Reportedly, the house smelled of urine, and there were 30-gallon trash bags filled with dog feces and puppy pads throughout the house.
Metcalf said every room was covered in trash and dog feces, and there was no food or water for the animals.
A dog bed was discovered holding the decomposing remains of a small dog.
The surviving animals were taken to the Washington County Animal Shelter.
AMANDA DENARO was released from the Washington County jail the same day of her arrest on a $5,000 bond.
