A Napavine woman has been charged with first-degree animal cruelty in Lewis County Superior Court after one of her dogs died due to malnourishment on Feb. 26.
The charge is a class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Deanna Marie Colgate, 45, was charged in October after the Napavine Police Department completed an investigation into referrals from Button Veterinarian Hospital in Tacoma, according to court documents.
On Feb. 27, the hospital reported that Colegate “keeps bringing malnourished dogs into the hospital,” culminating in Colegate allegedly bringing a deceased English bulldog puppy to the hospital on Feb. 26.
The puppy was “extremely emaciated and had sores on his feet,” according to court documents.
At the time, Colegate allegedly “told the hospital staff that she had already replaced the puppy that died.”
The officer who reviewed photos of the dog noted “it was obvious … that the deceased puppy was especially thin either because of illness or lack of food” and that the sores on the paws were “unexplained,” according to court documents.
A necropsy completed on May 5 determined the puppy died of “starvation/malnutrition,” noting that “the dog only had a small wad of hair, a piece of twig and a small piece of styrofoam in its stomach” and had no indication of “normal food material” in the stomach, small intestine and colon.
The necropsy found no evidence of underlying disease or illness, according to court documents.
In a letter to the Napavine Police Department, a veterinary doctor at Button Veterinary Hospital reported that Colegate “has a long history of bringing in animals to Button that have health issues and severe flea infestations,” including cats with chronic upper respiratory infections and underweight and undernourished cats and dogs.
The doctor stated that Colegate “brings in an animal to be euthanized and then immediately replaces the euthanized animal with another,” to the point where the doctor advised the local animal shelter not to let Colegate more animals, according to court documents.
Officers executed a search warrant on Colegate’s Napavine home, located in the 100 block of Stadium Way, on Feb. 28 alongside administration staff and technicians from Newaukum Valley Veterinary Hospital.
When they arrived, they found Colegate’s house was “littered with piles of boxes, totes and packages,” as well as dishes and garbage stacked on the counters and “dog feces and urine all over the floor,” according to court documents.
An officer noted “the whole house smelled of urine and feces.”
There were reportedly five dogs and three cats in the home, in violation of Napavine municipal code that requires a kennel license for a household with more than four dogs.
Veterinary personnel advised officers that “the animals appeared in good condition, though they lived in deplorable conditions and were allowed to simply run free in the house and defecate wherever they wanted to,” according to court documents.
Colegate was issued a summons notice in October for a Nov. 8 preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court, which she was present for.
“I know it’s just allegations, but the affidavit of probable cause certainly doesn’t indicate just one animal, one time,” Judge J. Andrew Toynbee said of Colegate’s case on Friday.
Toynbee granted the defense’s request for Colegate to remain out of custody on her own personal recognizance for the duration of her case, but required her to either obtain clear bills of health from a veterinarian for all of the animals in her home or rehome all of her animals within three weeks.
Arraignment is scheduled for later this month.
