Greene residents charged with animal cruelty
Two Wind Ridge residents are accused of aggravated animal cruelty after two dogs in their care were found to be severely underweight.
Several witnesses reported the dogs being overseen by Jaymes Vulcano, 25, and Sirena Smith, 47, looked thin and were roaming freely on Vulcano’s property on Wheeling Creek Road in November.
Vulcano called SWPA Humane Law Enforcement about the dogs on his property on Oct. 28, saying they were abandoned, according to the criminal complaint. He was told they were his responsibility, and he would need to arrange their transport to the shelter, the complaint said.
Instead, police said, the dogs remained on the property for the next three weeks. Smith cared for the dogs during part of that time as Vulcano was working in West Virginia, according to the complaint.
Residents who saw the dogs tried to intervene, police said.
One witness removed Axel, a mixed-breed male, on Nov. 7 before Vulcano asked for the dog to be returned, according to the criminal complaint. With Smith’s help, the witness removed Axel for good nine days later.
A veterinary examination of Axel on Nov. 20 found the dog to weigh 41 pounds, be emaciated, and have dead fleas and a large quantity of flea dirt, court documents said.
Another witness described Odie, a male German shepherd, as very thin and barely able to walk.
Smith told the witness she had run out of dog food and fed Odie butter noodles, according to the complaint. The witness turned Odie over to the Greene County Humane Society, which the complaint said recorded the dog’s weight as 58 pounds.
Both dogs added more than 20% to their body weight after receiving care, the complaints said.
Vulcano and Smith face felony aggravated cruelty charges of torturing animals and causing serious bodily injury. They are also charged with misdemeanors of cruelty and neglect.
No preliminary hearing dates have been set in their cases.