One of two Hartford residents accused of animal cruelty accepted a plea agreement in his case, while a separate but related agreement is under review for his wife and could be resolved next month.
During separate hearings Wednesday, Thomas Staggs pleaded no contest to three counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty and is set for sentencing Dec. 3. His wife, Rhonda, had a plea hearing continued while terms of a potential agreement could be reviewed by her defense team. The new plea hearing date is Nov. 1.
Both were originally charged with 17 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty after complaints about their address in Hartford. Lyon County deputies and Guardians of the Wolves, a private group, took 17 wolfdogs from the property as part of a well-publicized rescue effort in May.
