STOCKTON, Utah — A Stockton woman was arrested following an investigation into a dog that had allegedly been locked into a kennel without food, water or shelter.
The Stockton Police Department said Kristin Rasmussen was arrested Tuesday on a warrant stemming from animal cruelty and other animal violations.
Police were called to a Stockton neighborhood on Sept. 8 after reports of a Great White Pyrenees running loose. Witnesses told officers the dog had run from a property owned by Rasmussen, but when contacted, she claimed someone else had dropped it on her land and asked police to impound the dog as a stray.
Per police procedure, a photo of the dog was posted to the Stockton Police Facebook page where officers noticed the dog was "underweight and seemed skittish around people."
Other witnesses contacted police saying they had also seen the dog on Rasmussen's property and that it had been locked in a kennel without access to food or water.
Police were also notified about a Facebook post where Rasmussen had requested the dog from a man who was giving it away to a "good home" on Sept. 4. The man told police the dog was happy and healthy in his care before it was given to Rasmussen.
After obtaining a warrant to search Rasmussen's phone, police met with her and she again claimed no knowledge of the dog. She told police she was locked out of her Facebook page and that she had been hacked. However, while performing a search of the phone, they found Rasmussen's Facebook page was unlocked and messages to the dog's original owner were found in her archived folder.
Along with facing charges of animal cruelty, Rasmussen was also arrested on other warrants issued for her regarding theft and communications fraud and driving on a suspended license.
