A Hartford woman is set to begin the court process later this month after being charged with animal cruelty in the case of 14 dogs taken from her home.
Rhonda Staggs, 56, will have her first appearance at 1:15 pm June 14. She’s currently facing 14 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty, each dealing with failure to provide food, water or shelter. Other formal paperwork, including affidavits, have not been released.
No court appearance is on the docket for Thomas Staggs, 58, who was also arrested last week in connection to the case. However, Lyon County Attorney Marc Goodman says Thomas Staggs is also charged with 14 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty.
The 14 dogs taken May 26 by Lyon County deputies and Lyon County Animal Control from 303 East Grand in Hartford have been at an undisclosed natural habitat the past several days, according to Guardians of the Wolves and its fundraising partner, Plan B to Save Wolves. With confirmed cases of parvovirus and heartworm and testing underway for other ailments, Guardians of the Wolves CEO Lori Wynn says the group needs at least $20,000 total in donations to offset medical bills, and it’s received about $9,000 to date. It’s directing people who want to sponsor a dog for ongoing care to go to its website, www.guardiansofthewolves.org, for information.
