WEEKI WACHEE, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say a Florida woman faces animal cruelty charges after several dead dogs were removed from her abandoned home.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that 35-year-old Lauren Wendy Kopp was arrested Saturday on four counts of animal cruelty.
The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office says deputies went to the Weeki Wachee home last Tuesday and then returned Wednesday to remove multiple carcasses. Sheriff’s spokeswoman Denise Molone says it isn’t clear how many because they were in the advanced stages of decomposition.
Witnesses say the house had appeared abandoned since Hurricane Irma hit the state last September.
Kopp’s attorney has said she was not involved in the dogs’ deaths. The attorney says Kopp, who is free on $8,000 bail, moved in with her boyfriend last fall and let someone else stay at the house.