Dec 8, 2023 By Mike Jones 3 min read

When North Strabane police received an animal abuse tip leading them to search Washington County Controller April Sloane’s townhouse Wednesday, they found the rotting remains of a dog that had been dead for 10 days surrounded by “deplorable conditions” in her basement.

Police are now investigating Sloane for animal cruelty after she allegedly admitted to officers that her dog, Thor, died “due to not being properly cared for,” according to the affidavit in the search warrant.

Sloane’s 14-year-old son, who was not identified in the search warrant, told police that Thor had been “kept in deplorable conditions, and at times not taken care of for days at a time.” When Thor stopped eating and drinking water for two days in late November, the teen asked Sloane if they could take the dog to a veterinarian, which she refused to do, according to court documents. Sloane’s townhouse on Meadowbrook Drive is less than 500 feet from the emergency veterinary clinic on Route 19 in North Strabane.

The teen showed police photos that he had taken of the animal that appeared to be in “poor health” and that he shared with relatives asking for help. He told police that Thor died Nov. 27, which was 10 days before the search warrant was executed.

Sloane allowed police into her North Strabane townhouse Wednesday and admitted that the animal was dead and located in the basement. That prompted investigators to get a warrant from District Judge Michael Manfredi’s office to search the house. When police returned, they recovered Thor’s remains in the basement, along with a motion-activated surveillance camera in the living room, where Sloane said the dog died.

“They were not ideal conditions, especially where the dog was,” North Strabane police Capt. Matthew Mancini, who was inside the house during the search, told the Observer-Reporter Friday. “I’ll leave it at that.”

The Washington Area Humane Society apparently received the tip of the possible abuse Tuesday, prompting them to notify North Strabane police of the situation, although Mancini declined to identify who contacted authorities. However, Sloane’s estranged adult son created a Facebook page on Monday called Washington County Against April Sloane in which he posted photos of Thor as a puppy seated on campaign signs in April 2021, along with other photos of a malnourished dog in a cage and another where the animal appeared lifeless.

The search warrant indicates police are investigating the case as aggravated cruelty to animals causing serious bodily injury or death, which is a third-degree felony. No charges have been filed as of Friday and a necropsy will be performed on the dog to determine how the animal died.

“The case is still under investigation, and once that is completed, a determination will be made whether to file charges or not,” Mancini said.

District Attorney Jason Walsh declined to comment on the case since the investigation remains open.

Sloane, 43, did not respond to a phone message Friday seeking comment on the situation. The Republican was elected to serve as county controller in 2021, and her current term is set to run through the end of 2025.