Nov 10, 2017 3 min read

A West Finley woman is the first to be charged with a felony count of aggravated animal cruelty by the Washington Area Humane Society police officer under a new state law that went into effect Aug. 28 strengthening animal cruelty laws.

Tammy Barnhart, 45, of 160 E. Finley Drive, was charged Thursday with aggravated animal cruelty and three summary counts of neglect of animals after four dogs were reportedly found abandoned at her residence in September. An assistant district attorney approved the filing of the felony charge.

Libre’s Law, named for a puppy found near death last year in Lancaster County, is stricter on animal cruelty and increases the penalty for heinous animal abuse.

Humane police Officer Glen Thomson received an anonymous call Sept. 8 about a house at 160 E. Finley Drive. The caller said he came across the house while soliciting. He thought the house was abandoned but believed there were four to five dogs in and around the house. The caller reported the house was littered with garbage, and the vegetation was overgrown.

Thomson went to the home Sept. 13. He was not able to contact anyone but said he found one dog chained outside, behind a garage. Thomson said at least two dogs could be heard in the basement, and another dog could be heard whining from a room above the garage.

Thomson left a 24-hour notice on the back door of the house with a list of concerns but never heard back from the owners.

On Sept. 15, a search and seizure warrant was served. Four dogs were removed. The dog on the chain had no food or water, Thomson said, and the two dogs in the basement were severely underweight and living in an area covered with feces, urine and garbage.

The dog above the garage, a pit bull type, was found in a room covered in garbage, Thomson said. It had a seizure while humane officers were in the room. They also saw a large gash on the dog’s chest. It was rushed to Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center but had to be euthanized because the seizures could not be stopped.

All four dogs were dehydrated from a lack of water and infested with fleas, according to court documents.

Barnhart was charged with the three counts of neglect of animals for allegedly failing to provide necessities such as water and sustainable living conditions for three dogs: a brown and white pit bull type, a tan and black mastiff type, and a brown and white boxer type.

The charges were sent by summons from the office of District Judge Ethan Ward. Barnhart is scheduled for a Dec. 4 preliminary hearing before Ward on the felony charge, which carries a punishment of up to seven years in prison and/or a fine of as much as $15,000.

She has the option of asking for a summary trial on the other charges. She faces a fine of $300 plus $159.25 in court costs, as well as the possibility of 90 days in jail, for each of the three summary counts.