MERCER COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Mercer County woman is facing charges of animal cruelty after authorities discovered three neglected puppies in a home on Thornton Avenue, one of which was deceased.
According to Officer W.W. McGuire, law enforcement responded to 413 Thornton Avenue at approximately 5:40 p.m. following a complaint from Scotty Shorter. Shorter, who had been checking on his father’s house, reported that his stepmother, Jennifer Shorter, had left three puppies inside without food or water for an unknown period of time.
Upon entering the residence, Officer McGuire described the conditions as “abhorred,” with floors, walls, and furniture covered in animal feces. Two small puppies appeared severely malnourished and near death, while a third was found dead in a bedroom. A search of the home revealed no available food or water for the animals.
The surviving puppies were photographed and transported to the Mercer County Animal Shelter for care. Authorities arrested Jennifer Dawn Shorter on three counts of animal cruelty, citing abandonment, deprivation of sustenance, and the death of one puppy due to starvation.
