A mother and daughter accused of animal abuse crimes in Houston are facing new charges in Alberta, where police and the local SPCA last week seized 53 animals from a rural property they were renting.
On Sept. 3, Karin Adams and her daughter Catherine were charged with animal cruelty after police allegedly found animals in distress at their residence near the village of Cereal, which is about 300 kilometres northeast of Calgary.
Oyen RCMP had gone to the property to arrest the women for allegedly failing to comply with the court-ordered conditions of an ongoing animal abuse case against them in Houston.
Police said those conditions restricted the types of animals they could own and required them to stay in regular contact with a Ministry of Justice worker.
The RCMP launched a new investigation into animal cruelty after they allegedly found 11 horses, 25 dogs and 17 birds in distress at the residence.
With help from the Alberta SPCA, all of the animals were seized, relocated and looked at by a veterinarian.
The accused have been charged with cruelty to animals, wilful neglect of animals, possession of stolen property and failing to comply with the conditions of an undertaking.
The stolen property charge relates to allegations some of the animals were stolen.
Oyen RCMP Corporal Jeff Clarke said police believe the animals were being kept for breeding purposes. He said speculation on social media the animals were used for fighting was incorrect.
Their first court appearance on those charges will be at Hanna Provincial Court, Alta. on Oct. 28. One of the conditions of their release is that they do not own any animals.
Both Karin and Catherine Adams are also scheduled to appear in Smithers Provincial Court on Nov. 18 to stand trial for two charges each of causing unnecessary pain to an animal and one charge each of causing or permitting an animal to be in distress. They pleaded not guilty to the charges in April.
The charges relate to the alleged mistreatment of animals in their care, which were seized by the B.C. SPCA from a property near Houston on Aug. 28 last year.
Horses, dogs, birds and cats were among the 53 animals removed by the animal welfare authority.
