COEUR d'ALENE - Four people were sentenced to two years of probation in connection with a January seizure of more than 130 animals from an Athol home.

Shawna Denney-Land, 39, and her husband, Wayne Land, 45, were originally charged with 13 counts of animal cruelty, but in exchange for a guilty plea the couple was only charged with five counts. Denney-Land's parents, Norma Jean and John Denney, who were living in the Athol home at the time of the seizure, each pleaded guilty to two counts of animal cruelty.

According to Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh, when Judge John Luster sentenced the two couples on May 29, he also ordered them to pay Kootenai County for the cost of the care and maintenance of the animals while they were housed at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.

"These animals were at risk because of the terrible conditions in which they were housed," McHugh said. "Many of them were living in enclosures in their own feces and urine because of a lack of attention by their owners. Fortunately the quick action by the sheriff's department prevented the health of the animals from deteriorating." Full story. Keith Cousins, CdA Press

Appropriate sentence?

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