Washington County controller accused of starving dog to death waives preliminary hearing
April Sloane will have her day in court at another time.
The Washington County Controller accused of starving her dog to death waived her preliminary before District Judge James Saieva Jr. Tuesday afternoon.
North Strabane police charged her with two felony counts of aggravated cruelty — one for causing serious bodily injury and one for torture. She also is charged with a misdemeanor count of neglecting to provide veterinary care, according to court documents.
Charges stem from an investigation into the death of her dog, Thor.
His body was found in Sloane’s garage on Dec. 6, according to law enforcement.
Thor had been dead since Nov. 27, police said. He was adopted in April 2021.
Officers said Thor’s body was wrapped in a black garbage bag in the back corner of the garage. Officers also found a medium-sized dog cage. The tray for the cage was leaning against a nearby wall, and it appeared to have been recently removed and cleaned, the complaint said.
Police said Sloane, 43, first told officers the dog was buried on a friend’s farm and later stated Thor was in her basement.
A necropsy of the dog by the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System showed that Thor died of severe emaciation.
Calls to Sloane’s attorney, Louis Emmi, Tuesday were not immediately returned.
Michael DiVittorio is a TribLive reporter covering general news in Western Pennsylvania, with a penchant for festivals and food. He can be reached at mdivittorio@triblive.com.
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