This article is copy and pasted from the Everett Herald Thank You again to the Everett Herald for doing such a great job of report this. Between the Herald and Komo I think everyone is getting the BIG picture on the Puppy Mill.
MOUNT VERNON — The owners of the nearly 450 dogs seized at a Mount Vernon kennel as part of a multi-county puppy mill investigation now face additional criminal and misdemeanor charges.
On Thursday, Skagit County prosecutor Richard Weyrich filed 10 counts each against Richard and Marjorie Sundberg in Skagit County Superior Court.
The couple now face four first-degree animal cruelty charges, one count of transporting or confining an animal in an unsafe manner and a code violation. The pair were charged on Jan. 29 in District Court with four counts of second-degree animal cruelty.
Weyrich said the scope of the animal cruelty investigation is unprecedented in Skagit County.
“Obviously this is large scale, if we’re able to prove the allegations, just on the number of dogs involved,” he said.
Roughly 600 dogs, mostly small breeds, have been rescued since Jan. 16 in Snohomish and Skagit counties. Many of the animals were found in deplorable conditions. Several dogs have died from the mistreatment, or after veterinarians determined the only humane option was to kill them.
Marjorie Sundberg’s daughters, Renee Roske and Mary Ann Holleman, both of Snohomish, also are connected to the puppy mill investigation, court papers show.
Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies and animal control officers last month seized nearly 160 dogs from a home near Gold Bar owned by Holleman. The couple who lived in the Gold Bar home where the dogs were kept are not related to the Snohomish family. They were charged Feb. 3 with six counts of animal cruelty in Everett District Court.
Sheriff’s officials on Jan. 17 raided homes on 165th Avenue SE in Snohomish belonging to Sundberg’s daughters. Police found 42 dogs, well above the maximum of 25 allowed under county codes. The animals were not seized. Officials also found apparent evidence of illegal drugs at Roske’s home, according to court papers.
Members of the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force seized financial documents, a search warrant said.
Officials said they believe some of the dogs rescued in Skagit County were moved from Snohomish to Mount Vernon after the Gold Bar raid.
The Sundbergs, the couple charged in Skagit County, also own a property on 165th Avenue in Snohomish near the daughters’ homes, according to county records.
Snohomish County is pursuing civil penalties against Holleman and Renee Roske, but no criminal charges have been filed against the women.
On Thursday, Roske, Holleman and Marjorie Sundberg visited the Snohomish County auditor’s office with questions about the civil orders, Snohomish County animal control manager Viciki Lubrin said.
“Our staff … spent considerable time explaining the notice and the fines,” Lubrin said. The women “left without paying the civil fine or filing an appeal, stating they need to talk with their attorney first.”
The criminal investigation into the puppy mill continues, sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said Friday.
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