LaOtto man abandons 5 dogs for 2 weeks

The following was provided by our news-gathering partner, the News-Sun.

A LaOtto man who allegedly left dogs without food or water and covered in their own waste has been charged with a Class B felony, according to Noble County officials.

Arnols Allison Whitt, 29, was booked into the Noble County Jail Sunday, according to jail records.

Whitt is charged with abandoning or neglecting an animal, according to Noble County Prosecutor Steven Clouse. The charge stems from an alleged discovery in the Indian Lakes Mobile Home Park in LaOtto.

An employee of the park notified police that there had been no activity in the mobile home for at least two weeks, and that there were dogs inside that the employee believed didn’t have food or water, Clouse said. The Noble County Humane Society was also contacted.

On entering the mobile home, the humane society received five dogs from inside, Clouse said. Society staff reported that the residence was covered in feces, urine and other debris; there was no food or water in bowls in the residence; and that the dogs were covered in their own defecation.

Clouse said the dogs were also allegedly cold, frightened, defensive and hungry.

On recovering the dogs, society staff found that two of them had been implanted with microchips, Clouse said. That allegedly confirmed that they had been adopted by Whitt through Canyon Kennel in Fort Wayne.

Whitt was released from jail Saturday on $3,500 bond. An initial hearing the case is set for this afternoon in Noble Superior Court II.

A Class B misdemeanor carries a possible sentence of up to 180 days in jail and a possible fine of up to $1,000.