HADDAM, Conn. — A Haddam woman associated with a dog-boarding business was arrested Tuesday after a French bulldog died in her care and four other dogs were found in poor condition, according to Connecticut State Police.
Jacqueline Witt, 64, of Haddam, is facing four counts of cruelty to animals and one count of tampering with evidence. She was released on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned at Middletown Superior Court on Sept. 19.
According to an arrest warrant, Witt was associated with the business Wagging Good, which had a listing on the Thumbtack website for "training and boarding dogs."
State police said that the business took in a French bulldog from Thumbtack in addition to four other dogs that were brought under their care.
The warrant alleged that the bulldog died on Sept. 4, 2023, while under Witt's supervision. According to state police, she did not notify the owner of the dog about its death and instead continued sending phony updates about its training progress.
Witt put the bulldog's body in a trash bag and left it inside a room next to the other dogs, before disposing of the body off the Canterbury Turnpike roadway, state police said. She also allegedly fabricated evidence by "digging a hole in the brush behind her property" where she told investigators the dog was buried before it was supposedly "unearthed and taken away by animals."
The owner of the bulldog eventually contacted the North Reading Police Department and told them that the dog had not been returned to them by Sept. 15, 2023, which was the date that was agreed on, state police said.
Witt allegedly told investigators multiple stories about what happened to the bulldog and its location.
After an animal control officer recovered the dog off the roadway a necropsy report showed that there was probable cause to believe it was not fed and may have had a heat stroke, the warrant said.
The four other dogs at the home, which were under the care of Witt and another person associated with the Wagging Good business, were returned to their owners, state police said. All reportedly had "psychological and/or physical illnesses."
Sean Humphrey is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at shumphrey@fox61.com
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