2 plead guilty to animal cruelty, have pets seized

KINGWOOD — Two people pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and two dogs were seized by Preston Sheriff’s deputies Wednesday.

Sarah Jean Welch, 41, and Scot Alan Ray, 37, both of Terra Alta, were each fined $300 plus court costs, banned from owning animals for five years and mandated to pay veterinarian bills for the dogs.

Cpl. C.R. Cline said two dogs were signed over to the county humane officer and will eventually be given to the Preston County Animal Shelter, which can find them new homes. The dogs were taken to a veterinarian after being seized.

According to criminal complaints written by Cline, officers went to the West State Avenue address to investigate an animal complaint and saw a brown boxer, named Sissy, whose “ribs, vertebra and hip bones were easily visible.”

Residents of the home said the dog was “extremely picky” about what it ate, according to the complaint, but when Welch put out food, the dog ate it.

When deputies asked Ray about the dog’s condition, “he replied the dog was in that condition because she, Sissy, was ignorant.”

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