Dogs allegedly left penned up in a Texarkana, Ark., house for days at a time were allegedly living in filthy conditions without adequate food and water, according to a search warrant affidavit.
Magan Terry, 29, and Brandon Jason Woody, 38, were each charged in July with two counts of aggravated animal cruelty in connection with what investigators found July 9 at the house at 2410 Dudley Street. Animal control officers were notified of a white pit bull covered with fleas by staff at the Arkansas City Maintenance Shed, which is located in the 2600 block of Dudley, according to the affidavit used to create the following account.
Officers seized the male dog from the maintenance shed property for "running at large" and noted its poor physical state as a two on the Purina Body condition scale which scores an obese animal at a nine on a one-to-nine scale.
"The dog appeared to be completely covered with fleas to the point that its back appeared to be black and the fleas appeared to move in waves across its body," the affidavit states.
Officers went to the home on Dudley from where the dog allegedly came. There the officers found the door standing open. A decomposing raccoon was discovered in the driveway. When officers stepped onto the porch, they were swarmed by fleas.
No response came when officers called out and concern that other animals or people could be inside.
"My concern was that there may be additional animals inside the residence in need of immediate vet treatment and/or a deceased human," the affidavit states. "I observed an unopened bag of dog food on the left side of the porch and could see what appeared to be dog feces approximately three to four inches deep covering the floor on the inside of the residence."
The strong stench of ammonia from animal waste greeted the officers, who were familiar with the house because of prior calls. Urine spots allegedly coated the floor in patches of black film and officers could not walk without stepping on feces.
In one bedroom, officers noted the alleged presence of drug paraphernalia and drug residue. In a second bedroom, officers observed what appeared to be a child's room with stuffed animals neatly arranged on shelves wrapping around the space.
"I also noted that this was the cleanest room inside the home and no feces appeared to be present," the affidavit states. "The scene suggested that only the bedrooms of the house were being utilized for dwelling."
Despite a strong smell of decomposition, officers were unable to locate any carcasses outside the home. The pit bull was taken for veterinary assessment but did not survive, according to earlier reports.
Not long after officers returned to the Animal Care and Adoption Center, they were allegedly approached by Terry and Woody who inquired about the flea-infested pit bull.
"They stated that the dog had been inside the house and it had been four days since they had checked on the dog," the affidavit states.
The couple denied owning another dog which ran under the porch when officers first approached the house. Terry allegedly admitted that she and Woody entered the house about a week before and found another dog, "their favorite," dead in the floor with an electrical cord in its mouth.
"She (Terry) stated that she felt she could not bury the dog on her property because of rocks being about two inches deep in all of the dirt surrounding her home so she wrapped it up, put it in a tub and then placed it on her property," the affidavit states. "She then stated she was going to wait until the dog decomposed and get it out and bury it then."
The couple also admitted there were other dead dogs inside the home and consented to allow animal control to remove them. When officers returned, they allegedly found a deceased dog on the property where Terry told them she had put it's carcass.
"It was wrapped in a blue and silver tarp and placed inside a clear Rubbermaid-type tub with a white top and taped shut with black electrical tape," the affidavit states.
Terry was issued a citation for "offensive odors" in violation of city ordinance. In the days that followed, felony warrants for two counts of aggravated animal cruelty were acquired for Terry and Woody.
Terry was arrested July 11 and is currently free on a $25,000 bond. Woody was issued a citation with a date to appear in court because he suffered a medical crisis and had to transported to a hospital via ambulance.
Both are expected to appear in court later this month.