A Burlington couple have both been fined for an animal abuse case after police discovered they left three dogs and a cat abandoned in squalor for four days in a Mediapolis home because they were moving to a new home that did not allow pets.
Bethannie Bernand, 19, and Tyler Edler, 19, were both charged with three counts of animal neglect-no injury/serious injury or death and three counts of abandonment of cats and dogs-no injury (simple misdemeanors).
On June 11, the Des Moines County Sheriff’s deputy was called to a home on Village Court in Mediapolis for a report of possible animal neglect.
The deputy observed three dogs inside the home along with a large number of flies in the torn shades and feces and rubbish covered all over the floor and believed the home may have been abandoned, according to a criminal complaint.
The deputy was able to contact Bernand over the phone, who told the deputy she had only left the house for a couple of days to visit family in Fort Madison and said her cousin was supposed to be watching the dogs while she was gone, and that she was planning to return to the home the next day, the complaint states.
The deputy then told Bernand that he was concerned about the dogs and needed her to come to the home immediately.
Bernand told the deputy she couldn’t get to the house because she was at work but would send Edler, according to the complaint.
The deputy was able to get in touch with Edler, picked him up from a residence in Burlington, drove him to the home in Mediapolis, but Edler was unable to provide a name or phone number of Bernand’s “cousin” who was supposed to be watching the dogs, the complaint states.
Edler stated that he and Bernand had not been to the home for four days, as they were visiting family, but then changed his story, stating he had not been to the home for two days, and told the deputy the home was in good condition, according to the complaint.
When Edler opened the door to the home, a cat immediately ran outside, the complaint states.
Edler gave deputies permission to enter the residence and they discovered a water bowl that had been knocked over and was not dry, police say.
Deputies also observed that the home was covered in rubbish, animal feces and urine, and that a loveseat and chair had been eaten down to the wood frame, according to the complaint.
The deputy asked about cats in the home, which Edler stated that some cats had come and gone and that he was uncertain if any were still in the house, the complaint states.
After searching the home to make sure all the cats were out of the home, Elder surrendered the dogs to the Des Moines County Humane Society.
Edler later admitted to the deputy that he had not been at the home for four days, that no one had been coming to the home to care for the dogs, and that they were left behind because he and Bernand were moving to a new home that was not pet friendly, according to the complaint.
Warrants were issued for Edler and Bernand’s arrests on June 17.
Warrants were served on Sunday, that both pleaded guilty to the charges, and that both were each fined $300 on Tuesday.
