A Sharpsburg woman is headed to trial after police said they found a dead dog and two neglected animals inside a feces-filled home that “was deplorable and unfit” for pets.
Caitlin Marie Franks, 21, waived a preliminary hearing Monday on 15 animal cruelty charges in front of a district judge, court records show. She will next appear in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court.
Police arrested Franks in February on one felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals; four counts of cruelty to animals, half of them misdemeanors; and 10 counts of neglect of animals. She was arraigned last month and released on her own recognizance.
The Allegheny County Public Defenders’ Office, which represents Franks, declined comment Monday.
Sharpsburg police were dispatched in July to Franks’ Short Canal Street home on a report of animal abuse, according to a criminal complaint.
The responding officer found the apartment’s floors and carpet covered in excrement, the complaint said. Dogs had chewed through and torn apart sections of a couch.
Police said one of the dogs — a Husky named Koda — was found dead on a blanket in a back bedroom. Feces was caked into the second dog’s fur. A cat also “lacked adequate care,” the complaint said.
Franks’ roommate told police Franks had not fed the animals or been inside the apartment for a while, the complaint said. The roommate had texted Franks multiple times but received no response.
She also showed police Frank’s social media posts, one of which showed her traveling in Erie, “away from the apartment and disregarding the welfare of the animals,” the complaint said.
Franks’ roommate was not charged.