111 criminal charges filed against 3 suspects arrested for animal cruelty in Lee County
Three people arrested Monday in Lee County on animal cruelty charges are being charged with a total of 111 offenses, according to a news release Wednesday from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
Curtis Dewayne Haralson, 63, Patricia Ann Sims, 54, and Tiffany Ann Sims, 27, were taken into custody Monday after deputies responded to a residence on Lee Road 146 in the Beauregard community and found approximately 29 dead dogs placed in plastic bags and piled in the backyard of the residence.
The LCSO says expert analysis of the dead animals indicates they died within the range of the past few months up to a year ago. The criminal charges the three suspects face include multiple felony aggravated cruelty to animals and misdemeanor failure to bury livestock, according to the news release.
Investigators located around 24 additional dogs in the residence that were alive but appeared to be emaciated, according to the LCSO. Lee County Animal Control took possession of the live animals, the LCSO said.
The sheriff’s office says the defendants are jailed with bond set at $48,700 each.
“This case is being submitted to the Lee County District Attorney’s Office for Grand Jury presentation,” the news release says. “Additional charges may be added as the investigation continues.”
Previous complaints at the residence
The LCSO said they have responded three previous times to complaints at the residence, in 2017, 2019 and 2021. Deputies didn’t find elements to support criminal charges at those times, according to the news release.
“Lee County Sheriff’s Office personnel all believe in and defend the humane treatment of all animals,” the news release says.
The sheriff’s office called Monday’s discovery “among the worst treatment of animals that we have seen.”
The LCSO asks anyone with information about this case to call them at 334-749-5651 or Central Alabama Crime Stoppers at 334-215-STOP (7867).