A Hopkinsville woman was cited for cruelty to animals Thursday afternoon a few hours after being cited for separate charges related to feral cats on her property.
Animal control officers had set several traps to catch feral cats on Roney Drive after receiving complaints from residents of the area. A citation says daily inspections determined the cats had been trapped, but someone was releasing the animals.
Police say 58-year old Molly Duke of Hopkinsville regularly feeds the feral cats and that she had been told multiple times by animal control to stop. Duke was cited for interfering with peace officers and for not making a reasonable effort to capture and vaccinate feral cats on her property.
About seven hours later, officers were called back to Duke’s home after receiving an anonymous tip regarding a dog in poor health and found the animal in its dog house. The citation says the dog appeared to be suffering from severe medical issues that had gone untreated.
Police say the dog had missing hair, scabs on its face and appeared to have an ongoing skin condition.
Duke told Sgt. Rico Rodriguez that she had not sought treatment for the dog because she could not afford it. The dog was taken to a veterinarian for treatment after Duke was cited for second-degree cruelty to animals, according to the report.