A woman accused of running one of the largest animal rescue failures in U.S. history could face nearly 25 years behind bars after authorities removed more than 300 dogs and cats from her Lake Hughes property.
Christine De Anda, 57, who operated Rock ‘N’ Pawz, was charged Friday with 35 criminal counts. The case includes 12 felony animal cruelty charges and two felony counts of grand theft of labor.
Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control officials said in March that they rescued an estimated 200 to 300 dogs and cats from cages at the property, where animals were allegedly being kept in filthy, unsanitary hoarding conditions.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced the charges nearly six months after the rescue operation, describing the conditions encountered by responders as horrific.
Prosecutors said more than 300 animals were sick, injured or severely underweight. Some were allegedly suffering from starvation, dehydration and serious injuries that had gone untreated.
According to Animal Care and Control Director Marcia Mayeda, the animals were allegedly confined in cages soaked with urine and feces, conditions that left some with open wounds and infections.
Ammonia levels in the areas where the animals were housed were reportedly so overwhelming that rescue workers needed respirators to enter.
“What we found was deeply disturbing,” Mayeda said. “More than 300 animals were found in severely inhumane conditions.”
“They were ill, injured, emaciated, and in need of immediate medical attention and intensive care,” she added.
Mayeda said one dog was so severely matted and in such pain that workers had to sedate the animal before they could remove its hair.
Another was severely underweight when rescuers pulled it from the property. On Friday, the transformed pup stood alongside officials after nearly doubling its weight.
But some animals never made it out alive.
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One cat found dead on the property had suffered from starvation and dehydration, according to prosecutors.
Mayeda said other animals could not be saved because their illnesses and injuries were too severe.
Authorities added that warning signs had been piling up for years.
Neighbors complained about dogs barking, foul smells and trash piling up at the property, Hochman said.
Animal Care and Control and other regulators had visited the property, but De Anda repeatedly refused to let inspectors inside, authorities said.
“Ms. De Anda for years had refused entry,” Hochman said.
Witnesses eventually came forward with firsthand accounts of what they saw inside, helping investigators secure a search warrant, the DA explained.
They discovered mainly dogs and cats, but also a pig, rabbit, goose and two goats, prosecutors said.
Despite De Anda allegedly receiving years of citations and warnings about the conditions and number of animals at the property, prosecutors say she continued accepting animals she could not adequately care for.
“For someone who calls herself an animal rescuer, there’s a fundamental responsibility to protect and care for the animals entrusted to her,” Hochman said.
De Anda also faces 21 misdemeanor counts, including animal cruelty, code violations, failure to care for animals, failure to provide food and water, unsanitary conditions and operating a kennel without a license.
Her arraignment will be set for a later date. Prosecutors asked for her bail to be set at a staggering $914,500.