Over 50 guinea pigs found, 4 more dead
San Fernando Valley, CA (US)

Incident Date: Friday, Oct 12, 2001
County: Los Angeles

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Carole Darnold

Carole Darnold, 56, had animal cruelty charges filed against her on Fri, Oct 12, when authorities found more than 50 live guinea pigs, along with four dead ones, crammed into a 3 x 6 foot cage.

Darnold is scheduled to enter a plea on Nov 13 at the Superior Court, she could not be reached for comment on Friday. There was no telephone listing for her.

The authorities followed up on a phone tip of possible animal cruelty. When authorities found the cage with the guinea pigs, it was caked with animal waste and swarming with flies. The guinea pigs appeared to be malnourished and were infested with fleas and mites.

City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo said, "Crimes against animals are a horrible injustice that cannot be tolerated."

Darnold said she had not cleaned the guinea pig's cage in weeks. She became overwhelmed trying to care of the animals after the two she acquired a couple years go multiplied repeatedly.

References

• The Sacramento Bee - Oct 13, 2001

« CA State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Los Angeles County, CA

Not sure what these icons mean? Click here.

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.