Pair Accused Of Cruelty To Animals

Two people were cited for animal cruelty after authorities found 15 dogs fatally shot and several others in poor shape at a rural home, a Pend Oreille County sheriff’s deputy said Friday.

Deputy Andrew Fritz, who served a search warrant Thursday at the Newport-area home of Robert Eggleston, said the Siberian Huskies that were killed had been shot in the head and the carcasses placed in a heap. A mother and pups were among the dogs killed, he said.

The surviving dogs, including several bearded collies, were underweight and living in filth in an area with ice covering the ground, Fritz said.

Animal-protection workers removed about 15 of the dogs, Fritz said. Another 20 were left at the home.

Eggleston and Kay Frazier were cited for second-degree animal cruelty and released, Fritz said.

Investigators believe Frazier had been breeding the surviving dogs at her Newport-area home and moved them to Eggleston’s property after she got word of an animal cruelty investigation, Fritz said. An anonymous tip led authorities to Eggleston’s home, he said.