Dec 18, 2017 2 min read

A West Finley Township woman charged last month by a humane police officer with animal cruelty waived her case to court Monday.

Tammy Barnhart, 45, initially was charged with felony aggravated animal cruelty, but that was reduced to a misdemeanor charge because she had not previously been charged with cruelty to animals. She had been the first to be charged under Libre’s Law in Washington County. The law, named for a puppy found near death last year in Lancaster County, is stricter on animal cruelty and increases the penalty for heinous animal abuse.

Barnhart also is charged with three summary counts of animal cruelty. She was scheduled for a preliminary hearing before District Judge Ethan Ward.

Humane police Officer Glen Thomson received an anonymous call in September about a house at 160 E. Finley Drive. The caller told Thomson there appeared to be four or five dogs in and around the house that was littered with garbage.

Thomson obtained a search and seizure warrant and went to the house, finding one dog chained outside reportedly without food or water. Two dogs were found in the basement, severely underweight and in an area covered with feces and garbage.

A fourth dog was found in a room above the garage. That dog had a large gash on its chest and had a seizure while humane officers were in the room. It was taken to an emergency veterinary clinic but had to be euthanized because the seizures could not be stopped.

All four dogs were dehydrated from a lack of water and infested with fleas, according to court documents.

Barnhart’s next court appearance will be Feb. 20 before District Judge Valarie Costanzo for a fast-track hearing.