A Randolph County woman was convicted on six counts of animal cruelty earlier this week involving 57 animals that were confiscated from her Warm Springs residence in February.
Sandra Croney appeared before Randolph County District Judge John Throesch on Wednesday, months after law enforcement officers said they were tipped off by a witness who reported seeing starving dogs with no shelter outside Croney's house.
Wednesday's conviction was Croney's second for animal cruelty. In August 2013, Croney was convicted of 10 counts of animal cruelty, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
According to a statement from the Humane Society of the United States, Croney was ordered Wednesday to pay $5,000 in restitution to the organization. She is also banned for a year from owning any animals, except for two she already owns, the organization said.
The two animals must be spayed or neutered with documentation, according to the statement.
Authorities took 46 dogs, eight chickens and three cats from her house Feb. 19. Croney was charged with 58 counts of animal cruelty: 57 for the animals rescued and one count for a chicken found dead at the scene.
Randolph County Sheriff Gary Tribble wrote in a case summary that several of the dogs found in February tested positive for heartworms and Ehrlichia, a tick-borne disease.
State Desk on 09/18/2015