Nov. 9 – A Napavine woman has been charged in Lewis County Superior Court with first-degree animal cruelty after one of her dogs died Feb. 26 due to malnutrition.
The charge is a class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Deanna Marie Colgate, 45, was charged in October after Napavine police completed an investigation into referrals from Button Veterinarian Hospital in Tacoma, court records show.
On February 27, the hospital reported that Colegate “continues to bring malnourished dogs to the hospital,” culminating in Colegate bringing a deceased English bulldog puppy to the hospital on February 26.
The puppy was “extremely emaciated and had sores on his feet,” according to court documents.
At the time, Colegate allegedly “told hospital staff that she had already replaced the deceased puppy.”
The officer who reviewed photos of the dog noted that “it was apparent … that the deceased puppy was extremely thin due to illness or lack of food” and that the sores on the paws were “inexplicable,” according to court documents.
A necropsy completed on May 5 determined that the puppy died of “starvation/malnutrition,” noting that “the dog only had a small clump of hair, a piece of twig, and a small piece of Styrofoam in its stomach” and no had evidence of “normal food material” in the stomach, small intestine and large intestine.
According to court documents, the necropsy found no evidence of underlying disease.
In a letter to Napavine police, a veterinarian at Button Veterinary Hospital reported that Colegate “has a long history of bringing animals into Button that have health problems and severe flea infestations,” including cats with chronic upper respiratory infections and underweight and malnourished 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 allow Colegate any more animals, according to court documents.
Officers executed a search warrant at Colegate’s Napavine home, located in the 100 block of Stadium Way, on Feb. 28, along with administrative staff and technicians from Newaukum Valley Veterinary Hospital.
When they arrived, they found Colegate’s home “littered with piles of boxes, bins and packages,” as well as dishes and trash on the counters and “dog feces and urine all over the floor,” according to court documents.
An officer noted that “the entire house smelled of urine and feces.”
There were reportedly five dogs and three cats in the home, which violates Napavine’s municipal code that requires a kennel permit for a household with more than four dogs.
Veterinary staff told officers that “the animals appeared to be in good condition even though they were living in poor conditions and were allowed to freely roam the house and defecate wherever they pleased,” according to court documents.
Colegate was served a summons in October for a Nov. 8 preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court, which she attended.
“I know these are just allegations, but the affidavit of probable cause certainly does not point to just one animal, one time,” Judge J. Andrew Toynbee said Friday of Colegate’s case.
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 health clearances from a veterinarian for all animals in her home, or all of her animals relocated. animals within three weeks.
Arraignment is scheduled for later this month.
