MCSO: Illegal immigrant faces 205 charges in Wittmann puppy mill

Posted: Jun 01, 2015 8:09 PM PST
Updated: Jun 02, 2015 12:27 PM PST
By Phil Benson
By Breann Bierman

PHOENIX (KPHO/KTVK) -

A woman, accused of running the largest puppy mill the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has ever seen, is in the U.S. illegally, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

MCSO said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, working inside the sheriff's intake facility, determined Colleen Jolley is a United Kingdom resident whose visa has expired.

Jolley, 59, was turned over to ICE on Tuesday morning, a day after she made a court appearance.

Jolley faces 205 charges for animal abuse and neglect, including 99 counts of failure to provide medical care, 99 counts of failure to provide shelter, and seven counts of failure to provide food following an investigation.

On May 13, acting on a tip, the sheriff's animal crimes detectives served a search warrant on the woman's property and seized 99 animals, mostly dogs, but also some horses and turtles.

At least 92 designer dogs, mostly puppies, were found housed in wooded boxes, MCSO said. Each box had multiple puppies inside in their own waste, some without food or water.

Sheriff's deputies seized the dogs, which were later identified as English bulldogs, labradoodles, French bulldogs and other high-end breeds.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio said four dogs have since died from parvo and 11 remain in a veterinarian's clinic being treated for the disease.

Those healthy enough were transferred to the sheriff's MASH unit inside the sheriff's old First Avenue Jail. Female inmates and detention staff have been caring for the puppies since May 13.

"We are doing our utmost to keep these dogs alive,” Arpaio said. “But it appears that the conditions into which they were born were so poor, that some have succumbed to disease and others may still."

Arpaio said rescuers stepped in a "violent situation." In addition to the dog fights, a veterinarian was kicked in the chest by one of the horses being seized.

He said his office was aware of the puppy mill, but had to build a case against the owner before a search warrant could be obtained.

http://www.kpho.com/story/29212919/m...ann-puppy-mill