KING WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. (WWBT) – A 21-year-old Virginia woman is facing felony animal cruelty charges in Alabama, NBC12 reports.
Ryanne Gilbert is accused of starving a dog to death and leaving it locked in a bedroom in her apartment in Alabama.
Recommended Videos
Court documents show Gilbert is from Aylett but was living in Tuscaloosa, near the University of Alabama.
Tuscaloosa Police say on March 27, officers were called to Gilbert’s apartment because of a foul odor. They entered the apartment with a maintenance person and found a dead dog on the floor in a bedroom.
Investigators say “the animal was clearly malnourished and died of starvation. There was another dog located locked in a cage in the apartment, as well as a cat.” Animal control believes the dog has been deprived of food for an extended period of time and had possibly died 3-4 days before authorities entered the apartment.
The other two animals survived and were taken to the Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter.
On March 28, a warrant for Gilbert’s arrest was issued. On April 2, she was arrested in Hanover County, after the sheriff’s office was notified that Gilbert would be in the area visiting someone.
According to online records, Gilbert was held in the Pamunkey Regional Jail for three weeks and bonded out on April 24. Two days later, Tuscaloosa police say she surrendered to law enforcement and was held on a $15,000 bond.
Documents show she was evicted from her Tuscaloosa apartment on April 1 and was ordered to pay $200-plus court costs.
Gilbert is scheduled to appear in Hanover County court on May 2.