Hilton Head woman charged in Sea Pines dead dogs case faces new Georgia counts
A Hilton Head Island woman charged with 18 counts stemming from an investigation that began when 12 dogs were found dead at her Sea Pines home in April has been charged with two additional counts of animal cruelty in Georgia.
Gale Omi Walden, 72, of 47 Lands End Road, was charged with the additional counts by the Bacon County Sheriff's Office after the charges against her for the Sea Pines incident caused the Georgia officers to revisit her three properties in the Peach State, according to a WSAV news report.
When deputies visited her properties in Bacon County, they found 10 dogs at one and 11 dogs and 10 cats at another.
Deputies seized those animals, and Walden surrendered them to the Atlanta Humane Association, according to the report.
A call to the Bacon County Sheriff's Office to inquire further about the charges was not returned Friday morning.
Walden was charged with May 31 with 10 counts of animal cruelty, seven counts of failing to bury/burying improperly of dead animals and one count of abandonment of animals, according to the Beaufort County Detention Center's website.
Those charges stemmed from 12 dead dogs found dead on her property by Beaufort County Sheriff's Office deputies in April. Fourteen other dogs were seized during the incident.
Deputies were first alerted to the case after two Sea Pines security officers noticed a strong odor while doing a welfare check on the house.
One of the security officers kicked a black trash bag near the back porch and said in a Sheriff's Office report that "it felt like a carcass of an animal."
Three live dogs were found inside a car at the home. The vehicle was not running.
All 14 dogs were put in the car of Dr. Marikay Campbell at the Port Royal Veterinary Hospital.
The Beaufort County Animal Shelter assisted in the investigation along with the Sea Island Animal Hospital on Lady's Island and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
This story was originally published June 8, 2018 at 10:29 AM with the headline "Hilton Head woman charged in Sea Pines dead dogs case faces new Georgia counts."