The owner of a Bucksport dog shelter where six dogs died and more than two dozen others were seized this summer has been indicted on several animal cruelty charges by a Hancock County grand jury.
Ellisha Krutuleski is facing six felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and one misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals, according to information released Friday by the Hancock County District Attorney’s office.
The charges stem from the deaths of six dogs under her care and the poor health of 27 other dogs that agents with Maine Animal Welfare found in late July at her shelter, Coastal Dreams Rescue and Sanctuary on Millvale Road, according to court documents.
An arrest warrant for Krutuleski, 44, was issued in August after state animal welfare agents seized 27 dogs at the shelter on July 30. The dead dogs were seized as evidence and the surviving dogs were taken to other shelters under a state law that allows for animals to be removed when their owner is institutionalized, according to court documents.
No other information about where Krutuleski was when the animals were seized was available Friday.
Krutuleski has since signed a bail bond on Sept. 27 and is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 19, court documents indicate.
According to court documents, the six aggravated cruelty to animals charges filed against Krutuleski stem from allegations that she demonstrated a “depraved indifference to animal life or suffering” in relation to the dogs that died. The misdemeanor charge accuses her of depriving food, medical attention, shelter or clean conditions to the 27 dogs that survived.
“The majority of the 27 live dogs removed were very thin, with a poor body condition,” Doug Radziewicz, a humane agent with Maine Animal Welfare, wrote in the arrest affidavit. “Many dogs had severely overgrown toenails, some with untreated sores or wounds, filthy coats that emitted a powerful odor of urine and/or feces due to the condition of the kennels or crates or stalls they were housed in.”
Radziewicz said there was food at the shelter that the dogs did not have access to.
“Alarming was the abundance of dry and canned dog food that was stored in the personal living space of Krutuleski,” he wrote in the affidavit.
The six aggravated cruelty charges are each a Class C felony, a conviction of which is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Attempts to track down contact information for Krutuleski or the animal shelter have been unsuccessful. An Instagram account for the shelter appears to have been deleted.
