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Two Davisville residents charged with 19 counts of animal cruelty

PARKERSBURG — Two Davisville residents were arraigned Tuesday on charges of animal cruelty in Wood County Magistrate Court.

Humane officers with the Humane Society of Parkersburg reported animal abuse at the residence of Matthew Lee Deaner, 36, 90 Eastlawn Road, Davisville, and Lacy Nicole Allman, 39, same address, according to the criminal complaint.

Twelve dogs, seven cats, four birds, a hamster and a guinea pig were inside the residence with unlivable conditions, according to the complaint.

“The animals had no water, no food and were living in their own feces,” the complaint said.

The hamster and guinea pig were found dead in separate cages and the dogs and cats looked malnourished with their ribs sticking out, the complaint said. The back room of the home had several plastic containers and coolers with dead animals inside, the complaint said.

Photographs were taken at the home and when law enforcement responded, they saw excrement and trash covering a majority of the floor, according to the complaint. Law enforcement also saw the containers in the back room and the complaint said there was so much decay that it was hard to tell how many animals were inside most of them.

Allman confirmed she lived at the residence and said some of the animals were hers. She also said Deaner was living there, too, and she assumed he was checking on the animals and “did not realize it had gotten that bad,” the complaint said.

Human officers took custody of 12 dogs and seven cats.

Deaner and Allman were each charged with 19 counts of cruelty to animals and were released on $25,000 surety bonds.

Candice Black can be reached at cblack@newsandsentinel.com.

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