Benton County sheriff: ‘Worst case of animal neglect or abuse I’ve ever seen’
A Benton County woman faces nearly a dozen animal abuse charges.
Deputies arrested Tiffany L. Woodington, 49, of Cole Camp, Missouri on Sept. 12.
The Sheriff’s Office said Woodington operated the nonprofit group “All Accounted For” with her husband, Steven C. Woodington, 55, of South Padre Island, Texas.
Both are accused of bringing the animals from Texas to Cole Camp.
Deputies said their investigation started after they were notified by the Missouri Humane Society Animal Cruelty Task Force about possible animal abuse in Benton County.
The task force said it was told by the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office in Texas when Steven Woodington and another man were arrested on possible animal abuse charges.
The name of the other man arrested wasn’t released.
Investigators said 278 dogs were found living in inhumane conditions. More than half of the animals were euthanized. The remaining dogs were taken to a veterinarian for treatment.
Around 38 dogs and a cat were discovered in poor condition by Benton County deputies at a property near Cole Camp.
An additional 120 dogs and a cat were found various stages of decay in an old bus, barn and a house.
Benton County Sheriff Eric Knox said, “This is the worst case of animal neglect or abuse I’ve ever seen in my career.”
The Missouri Humane Society removed the living animals from the property. Crews also removed the bodies of the dead animals the next day for further examination.
Tiffany Woodington is charged in Benton County with 10 felony counts of animal abuse and two misdemeanor counts of animal abuse.
Knox told ABC 17 News he plans to ask state lawmakers to create new legislation to increase the punishment for people convicted of animal abuse in Missouri.
“I personally am going to reach out to lawmakers to seek better laws for animal abuse and neglect. Our little furry friends, they don’t get the justice they deserve with the laws that are on the books and those need to be changed,” said Knox
A court hearing is scheduled for Tiffany Woodington at 8 a.m. on Oct. 1.
