71-year-old-woman arrested

LIND - The Adams County Sheriff's Office and Othello-Ritzville Pet Rescue removed more than 100 mistreated animals from an elderly woman's home in Lind Saturday morning.

Sharon Provost, 71, was arrested for animal cruelty in the first degree after deputies contacted her with a search warrant at her home on East Third Street following a complaint.

The initial complaint to the sheriff's office involved several Australian Shepherds allegedly being mistreated, including one dog having reportedly strangled itself on its collar, Undersheriff John Hunt stated. The dog was allegedly left in a kennel with the other live dogs for a long time period.

Deputies and rescue volunteers removed 111 dogs from Provost's home, he noted. Two dogs were euthanized due to their deteriorated health.

"A veterinarian was on scene to inspect the condition of the animals," Hunt stated. "Generally the condition of the animals was poor, most had no food or water available to them. Also found at the residence were the carcasses of four dogs that had been there for a very extended period."

Pet Rescue took custody of the surviving animals. They will keep them for 14 days unless they are released back to Provost. If they are not released, they will be available for adoption.

For more information on adopting the dogs, Pet Rescue can be contacted at 509-855-1402.