Dec 12, 2023 By Mike Jones 5 min read

Washington County Controller April Sloane was arrested Tuesday on felony animal cruelty charges in connection with the death of her dog, Thor, who police said died of neglect last month inside her North Strabane Township home.

North Strabane police filed the animal abuse charges after they said a necropsy of Thor showed the dog died of “severe emaciation” and weighed only 20 pounds, less than half of what its weight should have been, according to court documents.

Police said they found Thor’s carcass wrapped in a garbage bag placed in the back corner of the basement garage of Sloane’s townhouse following the Dec. 6 search of her Meadowbrook Drive residence.

Thor died on Nov. 27, but authorities weren’t notified of the dog’s death until Dec. 6, when an anonymous tip was sent to the Washington Area Humane Society, according to court documents. The necropsy revealed that the dog had 0% body fat and had no signs of illness or injuries that could have caused its death.

Sloane, 43, was arrested Tuesday afternoon by North Strabane police while working at her county office in the Courthouse Square building in Washington. She was transported by police car to District Judge Michael Manfredi’s office in North Strabane and arraigned on the two felony counts of animal cruelty, along with one misdemeanor charge of neglect of an animal for denying vet care. She was released on $150,000 unsecured bond and is tentatively scheduled to appear before Manfredi for her preliminary hearing at 1 p.m. Dec. 19.

District Attorney Jason Walsh said he plans to prosecute the case and will not refer it to the state Attorney General’s office.

“The circumstances are horrific and tragic,” Walsh said.

After being notified by the humane society of the alleged abuse, investigators said they spoke to Sloane’s 14-year-old son, who told them that Thor was held in “deplorable conditions” and not taken care of for days at a time. He also told them that he tried to give Thor water using a turkey baster, but the animal would not drink and could no longer stand. When he asked his mother if they could take the animal to the vet, she allegedly declined despite the emergency veterinary clinic on Route 19 in North Strabane being located less than 500 feet from her house.

When Sloane spoke to police, she allegedly admitted that the dog had died “due to not being properly cared for,” but she also told investigators that Thor had been buried on a friend’s farm. She then began to sob, according to court documents, and told police that the dog’s remains were still inside her house.

Investigators secured a search warrant and went into the basement area, where they found a medium-sized dog cage with fur on the floor that had recently been swept into a pile. A tray on the bottom of the cage also appeared to have been recently cleaned, according to court documents.

North Strabane detectives then located Thor’s body in a black trash bag stowed in the corner of the garage. Officers removed the dog in order to perform the necropsy, which was conducted Friday by PA Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System and concluded the animal died from “severe emaciation.” Court documents allege that Sloane neglected the dog from Nov. 1 until the animal’s death on Nov. 27.

Various photos posted on social media show Sloane adopted Thor in April 2021, and she took the dog on campaign stops and posed the pet atop her political yard signs ahead of the election that year. The Republican won election for controller and took office in January 2022. Sloane’s term as controller, which acts as the chief financial oversight officer overseeing county funds, runs through the end of 2025.

She did not respond to a phone message seeking comment Tuesday, and no attorney was listed for her in online court records.

However, in a statement released Tuesday afternoon, the Washington County Republican Party distanced itself from Sloane while falling short of calling for her resignation.

“WCRP has been made aware of the severity of the charges filed against Controller April Sloane,” the party said in a written statement. “Because of their nature, WCRP will no longer associate ourselves with her, and our sincere condolences go out to all those impacted by this horrific situation.”

Meanwhile, the Washington Area Humane Society posted a message on its Facebook page that it was “saddened” to learn of Thor’s death after he was adopted from their shelter in 2021. The post, which shows Thor as a puppy swaddled in a blanket, said the humane society’s police officer was working closely with authorities on the investigation.

“Please remember to report animal abuse if you know an animal is suffering or neglected before it is too late. You can report animal abuse to one of the three registered Humane Society Police Officers for Washington County listed on the PA Department of Agriculture’s website registry or to the Police,” the post reads. “May Thor rest in peace and receive the justice he deserves.”